What’s the story?
English all-rounder Ben Stokes has been the subject of controversy and criticism over the past few days following his arrest after a Bristol bar brawl. Not surprisingly, the incident got Stokes arrested. Thereafter, he got himself tangled in a street fight, throwing punches while fighting with two men.
To his dismay, the streak of bad judgement is a long one. In a shocking video originally obtained by Express Sport, Ben Stokes has been found mimicking Katie Price’s differently-abled son, using the word c***.
The incident obviously did not go down well with Price and she slammed Stokes as ‘disgusting’ for making fun of her son’s disability.
In case you didn’t know…
Stokes was released after a thorough investigation of the bar-fight after which he apologised for his actions. During the bar-incident, he also suffered a fracture in his right hand. However, he was still included in the squad for the Ashes to be played later this year in Australia.
Nevertheless, on the day of his selection, he agot himself involved in the street-fight. While it is assumed to make things worse for Stokes, he might also get sacked from his role as the vice-captain of the national team.
The heart of the matter
On British television show Loose Women, Price asked her son "Harvey, if someone says something horrible to you, what do you think?"
Harvey replied: "Hello."
Katie then asked: "You'd say hello? If someone says something horrible to Harvey, what does Harvey say?"
"Hello you c***", Harvey replied, to the shock of Price and the host.
Later, Stokes was filmed in the video with the following words:
He says: "Harvey, what do you say when people are being mean?"
Waving to the camera, Stokes responds to his own question saying: "Hello you c***."
What’s next?
As the vice-captain of the England cricket team, Stokes is speculated to play a major role in the upcoming Ashes series against arch-rivals Australia.
However, after his arrest, post the night-club incident, he has been suspended by the England Cricket Board (ECB) until further notice. After this video, it will now be interesting to find out the England board's approach towards the celebrated cricketer.
Author’s Take
With the passage of time, Stokes has carved a reputation for himself as a dependable cricketer, both with bat and ball. He has also shown a great level of consistency to establish himself in the English lineup.
While his reputation as a cricketer is healthy, such actions will definitely not be a positive light to his character off the field. As an individual, Stokes needs to be more mature and circumspect towards his actions, which will impact his career in a big way.
As once richest man in the world Warren Buffet once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about it, you’ll do things differently."
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