Melanie McLaughlin was reporting on the cricket tournament called The Big Bash League in Australia when one of the cricket players asked her out on a date.
McLaughlin was interviewing Melbourne Renegades player Chris Gayle, who has made some headlines with the strip club inside his own house, when she asked him about how well he was playing. Gayle said that he was doing well because he wanted to score an interview with her, and then he asked her out for drinks.
“I wanted to come and have an interview with you,” he said. “That’s the reason why I’m here. Just to see your eyes for the first time. It’s nice. Hopefully we win this game and we can have a drink after. Don’t blush, baby.”
“I’m not blushing,” she said.
McLaughlin tried to steer the interview back on track by asking him about an injury, but when he went on to try and make comments about her eyes, she ended the interview.
BBL organizers later released a statement about the interview, saying, “I heard Chris’ comments and they’re disrespectful and simply inappropriate. We’ll certainly be talking to him and the Renegades about it. This league is all about its appeal to kids, families and females. There’s just no place in the BBL—or, for that matter, cricket anywhere—for that sort of behavior.”
Sexist, sleazy or both? Whatever it is, @Mel_Mclaughlin handles this exchange with Chris Gayle superbly @henrygayle pic.twitter.com/JQyIUiNV3l
— Auskar Surbakti (@AuskarSurbakti) January 4, 2016