Former Hibs star Marvin Bartley accuses fellow BBC pundit Tam Cowan of 'bullying' over racism row

The Livingston assistant boss demanded an explanation from the Off the Ball host for comments he made on both the BBC Radio Scotland show and Instagram after Bartley spoke out about a racist shout during Hibs’ 1-0 defeat to Dundee United in October.

The footage was initially inconclusive with Dundee United’s investigation finding the comment was “most likely derogatory rather than racist”. However, Hibs sought further analysis through an independent sound expert, which confirmed the club’s worst fears that one of their own fans had launched a bigoted attack at a Hibs player.

After the findings of the initial investigation, Cowan invited Bartley to come on his show and apologise for “a proper c***-up”. He then shared a number of screenshots on Instagram pertaining to Bartley’s role in highlighting the incident.

After Bartley, who is the Equality and Diversity Advisor to the Scottish FA, was vindicated in his stance by Hibs’ statement he posted an emotional thread on Twitter aimed at Cowan.

He wrote: “Tam I really can’t believe you went on national radio and peddled out lie after lie. You attacked me and started a narrative on the back of an ‘inconclusive’ original outcome into something that has now been proven to be racist.

“Why did you feel the need to attack and bully me personally on this subject, so much so you went away from the truth and so many guidelines that the BBC have in place to stop things like this happening.

“You talk about mental health on social media but where was your care or consideration for mine or anyone who has come forward to say that what was actually said was “f*** you…. You black b******”.

“Do you have any idea what that pain feels like to hear someone racially abused who looks like you?

“You don’t realise your words cause sleepless nights, have people abuse others on the back of listening to you, have people approach others in public, on the back of your words.

“You will never understand the pain, or maybe you do but you just don’t care.

“Do you know how hard it is for fans to call it out within their own fan base without someone going on national radio and saying it didn’t happen?

“How you’ve been allowed to continue that bullying on air without your producer even stopping you makes me extremely concerned.

"The glee in your voice when you made the offer for me to come onto your show to apologise and you accused me of laying low on social media because I’ve made a “big big blooper, it was a proper c*** up”. You’ve tried to cause a divide between me and Dundee United fans by saying some are up in arms because I accused them which I never did and you know that, you’ve said this only to direct hatred towards me and create conflict. All of this because I’ve called out someone shouting at a football stadium “f*** you…. You black b******”

Bartley went further to insinuate the presenter and columnist had a problem with him and his partner, Sky Sports’ Scottish football presenter Eilidh Barbour, over their disgust at the controversy at the Scottish Football Writers’ Association awards last year when speaker Bill Copeland made sexist and racist comments.

“You’ve tried and tried to get a reaction from myself and Eilidh ever since she walked out of the writers awards for comments made by an after dinner speaker that were racist to the Japanese players of Celtic and insulting to all from their country, sexist to every woman in the land and homophobic too. On the back of this what did you do? You said she couldn’t take a joke.

“Then you came as a guest speaker at the end of season awards at Livingston Football Club and you mentioned her walking out of the writers awards around 10 times. So much so every player wanted to walk out but I stopped that because I didn’t want you to ruin their evening or the fans evening after what was a successful season. Then there is this. You know no boundaries and if you think you have to be horrible to others to get a laugh, clearly you’re not that funny.

“You didn’t leave it at bullying me or a personal attack on the radio though did you? You then went and attacked me on your social media with more lies and misinformation. In hope of what Tam? Why more lies? Do you not care that a person within a stadium called someone a “Black b******”?

“You will never deter me from standing up for what I believe is right, against all forms of discrimination. I will fiercely defend my partner and anyone else who is bullied when all they’re doing is trying to make the world a better place. I’ll give it to you, your words did get to me and cut extremely deep and had a negative effect but now I will use this as energy to help others who don’t have the support network that I do around me.”

Bartley was a firm fans’ favourite at Easter Road for four years after signing from Leyton Orient in the summer of 2015. In addition to his coaching duties, he appears often as a pundit on BBC Scotland’s Sportscene programme and Clyde Radio’s Superscoreboard.

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