Robin Williams dead: TalkSport apologises for Alan Brazil after presenter says he has 'no sympathy' for actor following 'suicide'

Followers on Twitter called for the presenter to be sacked after his "ignorant" comments about depression

Jenn Selby
Tuesday 12 August 2014 14:31 BST
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TalkSport has apologised on behalf of Alan Brazil, after the presenter stated live on air that he has “no sympathy” for suicide.

Speaking during a segment on his breakfast show this morning (12 August), Brazil implied that Robin Williams, who was found dead in his home yesterday (11 August), had been selfish in his apparent decision to take his own life, and said that the situation he left his family in was “diabolical”.

Brazil started by describing the moment he and his wife first heard the news, saying he initially thought Robbie Williams of Take That had died.

"And then when she said 'Robin', I thought, 'Oh, OK'. It didn’t hit me hard like it would if it had been Robbie, thank God it wasn’t."

"I believe he’s got a daughter as well, what’s she feeling like this morning?" he continued, despite his co-presenter attempting to steer the conversation back on track with a general comment about suicide never being "an easy matter".

"Now she’s got to sort the arrangements out. I think it’s shocking, I really do.

"I don’t have a lot of sympathy, I’m sorry."

After his views were countered on air, Brazil bluntly replied: "It might be [harsh] but that's the way I feel.

"What you leave behind is diabolical, I’m really annoyed about that."

His comments were heavily criticised by listeners on Twitter, who questioned his ignorance about depression, and called for him to be sacked from his job:

The broadcaster has since apologised on behalf of Brazil, although stopped short of confirming whether they would be taking any disciplinary action against him.

"talkSPORT would like to apologise for any offence caused," a spokesperson told The Independent. "Alan’s comments do not reflect the views of the station."

Brazil is, however, no stranger to controversy. In May this year he was accused of making several sexist remarks about female sports journalists.

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