Olympic boxer Kellie Harrington claims she was "caught off guard" after an appearance on Newstalk's Off the Ball turned sour.
The Dubliner joined Shane Hannon on the hugely popular show as a brand ambassador for the retailer Spar.
A seemingly routine interview took a dramatic turn after the Olympian declined to respond to questions about a retweet that featured anti-immigration rhetoric in October.
Kellie Harrington discussed her deleted tweet on immigration on #OTBAM. pic.twitter.com/tfwsrlTmrj
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) March 27, 2023
Harrington was asked if she agreed with views put forward by UK media outlet GB News which she shared on Twitter last October.
Hannon was referencing the Dutch commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek speaking about the killing of a 12-year-old French girl.
The St.Mary's fighter retweeted the video and added: "Very, very sad. A powerful message from Eva Vlaardingerbroek. Our own leaders need to take a listen to this. She believes this is the 12th girl in France this year who has been killed by an immigrant. And that’s just France."
She would later go on to delete the tweet.
When pressed on the matter during the Newstalk interview, Harrington refused to answer any questions about her social media activity.
"That was a post in October, so I do feel like you are hanging me out to dry," she said.
"You know me by now and you know you’re going to get the truth off me and that’s exactly the truth as it is, as I sit here now."
A statement following my interview earlier with OTB pic.twitter.com/FGuO3w7Wwe
— Kellie Harrington (@Kelly64kg) March 27, 2023
Following the extraordinary interview, the boxer would release a statement on social media.
It read: "Having realised the significance of my tweet and the hurt caused to a number of people I immediately deleted the tweet."
"I engaged privately with a number of people who were hurt by my tweet and apologised to them.
"As a sporting role model, I am aware that I need to be mindful of what I do and say. I reacted with my emotions and without the facts. How this came across is not reflective of me as a person or my thoughts.
"I did an interview today during which I was 'caught off guard'. I was not prepared for a question unrelated to sport and my response to the question asked was not definitive. I do not want to engage in politically sensitive matters.
"What I want to make clear is, throughout my life both in boxing and outside boxing, I have been lucky enough to have had many multicultural influences and this continues to shape me to this day. This is something that shapes me as the person I am today and something I am very grateful for. The people closest to me will attest to this.
"Since the interview, I have seen some comments that I feel I should address and make my feelings and thoughts clear. As a sportswoman I am proud to say I am all about community, inclusion and diversity."
Lia Thomas is not a brave, courageous woman who EARNED a national title. He is an arrogant, cheat who STOLE a national title from a hardworking, deserving woman. The @ncaa is responsible.
If I was a woman working at ESPN, I would walk out. You're spineless @espn #boycottESPN https://t.co/DF3n5RWsmV
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) March 26, 2023
The Dublin native would receive further criticism for her apparent support of Riley Gaines's outburst about a transgender athlete.
Gaines created a stir on social media when she responded to ESPN's celebrations for Women's history month. Harrington moved to like the outburst on her Twitter page.
"Lia Thomas is not a brave, courageous woman who EARNED a national title," she said.
"He is an arrogant, cheat who STOLE a national title from a hardworking, deserving woman. The @ncaa is responsible.
"If I was a woman working at ESPN, I would walk out. You're spineless."
