Chris Sutton has revealed that during his career as an expert he has been attacked by mail, that a car has driven onto the curb to run towards him and that he has received death threats in the mail.
It comes after a fan was accused of ‘headbutting’ Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane during Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Manchester United.
This week, the Met Police arrested a 42-year-old man on Monday on suspicion of assault, after footage shared on social media showed Keane’s colleague Micah Richards struggling with someone to restrain them.
Speaking of ‘It’s All Coming Up’ – the little brother of Mail Sport’s ‘It All Begins’ podcast – Sutton talked about the pundit abuse while speaking to Mail Sport’s Ian Ladyman.
When asked by Ladyman if he’d suffered anything like Keane, Sutton said, “Someone tried to assault me in a hotel bar before.” I’ve had a death threat. I had a car pull up the curb and come to me.
Chris Sutton (right) has revealed he was attacked in a hotel bar, had a car hit him and received death threats during his time as a television pundit after his football career
Sutton said there are ‘not many options’ when it comes to dealing with receiving a death threat and he tries to ignore gangs like the one he encountered on a plane because otherwise they ‘win’
Sutton spoke to Mail Sport’s Ian Ladyman about pundit abuse after a fan was accused of ‘headbutting’ Sky Sport’s Roy Keane – which saw a 42-year-old arrested on suspicion of assault
Your browser does not support iframes.
“I was quite mistreated. I’d say, possibly three times over the years, on a plane by gangs. It’s not like there’s much you can do about it.
“I broadcast in a way where I try to be honest, not everyone agrees with my opinion. But I think you know this yourself. As a broadcaster you have to have a thick skin.’
The former Celtic, Blackburn and Chelsea striker revealed that the incidents mainly took place as an expert on Scottish football, although England are “not exempt”.
He added that things have gotten worse with the rise of social media and there are “not many options” when it comes to dealing with receiving a death threat, having a car hit him on the sidewalk and getting assaulted on an airplane.
Sutton said to Ladyman, “How are you handling the death threat?” I reported it to the police. With the beating on a plane I just sat through it, took off and got off on the other side.
“What can I do if I fight back. If I yell back. The way I see it and everyone else handles things, if I bite back, I’ve lost, haven’t I? And I’ve done exactly what the mob wants me to do when it comes to arguing with people.
“So the best thing to do is ignore it and move on.”
Sutton said he reported the death threat to police in Scotland by post and “nothing came of it.”
Sutton says these incidents won’t make him rethink his role as an expert or change his style
Chris Sutton has had strong links with Celtic, Blackburn and Norwich from his playing days, but don’t let that affect his broadcasting style as he was critical of all three sides.
When asked by Ladyman if these incidents led him to reconsider his role, or change his style in science and tone things down, Sutton replied, “Not at all in terms of my style.” My style is my style.
“I mean, caring for me would be the effect things have on my family. Social media is a really nasty place and you know there were certain things posted about me, about my dad who you know has dementia, that were upsetting, things about my daughter.
‘I try to be open and honest. I’m not on Instagram so I post a lot of stuff on Twitter (now X) and most people I think are nice, decent people who understand what Twitter is and you can talk back and forth.
“But it’s society, isn’t it? There is always a minority of stupid people who ruin it for other people. But in terms of broadcasting, I have my style, the style that I think is best.
“I try to be open, honest and blunt. I don’t understand everything right. Of course no one is right. But the most important thing is that I say things as I see them.
“I’ve had a playing career, so through my ties to Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers and Celtic, I have a strong connection to those specific clubs. but that doesn’t affect the way I broadcast at all. Since I’ve been playing I’ve been critical of all three clubs.’
Sutton says things have gotten even worse with social media, despite the majority of users being “nice, decent people he can talk back and forth with”
He added, “Tsnake were clubs of which I had fond memories. But that part of my career is now over. I work in the media and I have a duty that people work as hard as possible for them and give my honest opinion.’
Ladyman also questioned Sutton if he would ever be filmed commenting on a match.
Celtic legend Sutton revealed that he and Rangers icon Ally McCoist refused to be filmed commenting on a Scottish League Cup final – suggesting they were ‘uncomfortable’.
He said that while the likes of Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville are “excellent broadcasters,” it can feel a bit like “club TV.”
Sutton revealed he refused to be filmed commenting on the Scottish League Cup final, as Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville are seen doing during matches
Sutton said: ‘I understand the merits of club TV, but let’s get it right, club TV, with the utmost respect, is like that. partisan political broadcasts, isn’t it?’
He added, “EEssentially, as a summarizer, you’re there to work for your paymasters and provide a balanced view. And that’s the way I see it. And I think it’s about, you know, the camera and the comment box.
“Some people might think that’s okay. I feel somewhat uncomfortable when I do that. And I suppose the reason, one of the reasons I would be uncomfortable with that is because I have a connection with Celtic.
“I mean, this could go the other way. There may be some Celtic fans who think: if I’m in a commentary box and a camera is on me and someone scores in the Scottish Cup final, the fact that I’m not celebrating, that I don’t like the club if you gets angry.’
‘It’s All Coming Up’ is the snappy, short and sharp little brother to Mail Sport’s new weekly podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off’, featuring lead football writer Ian Ladyman and star columnist Chris Sutton in a heated Zoom chat ahead of the weekend.