Former footballer Jermaine Jenas has been fired by the BBC over allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
During an on-air radio programme on Thursday, the BBC revealed that Jenas, the 41-year-old One Show co-presenter and Match of the Day pundit, is a ‘no long part of our presenters programme.’
News of his sacking came shortly after Jenas began co-hosting a three-hour drive-time show on TalkSPORT with fellow former footballer Jermaine Pennant.
On Friday, Jenas apologised to his family, friends and colleagues, as well as the women he messaged.
He had previously said he planned to hire a lawyer and that there were ‘two sides’ to every story.
However, in an interview with The Sun, the former footballer said: “This is all my fault and I fully accept that as a BBC employee I have to take certain responsibilities.” The messages were from “two consenting adults”.
However, he added that “I am the only one to blame”, saying “I am the one who is married, it’s my fault”.
BBC News reported that Jenas had been released from his contract earlier this week due to the alleged issues. It was about being fired for conduct at work.
The news was a shock and a major blow to a promising career as a sports journalist. Jenas was widely seen as a future Match of the Day presenter after Gary Lineker retired before the scandal.
He moved to presenting on sports shows but has also become well known on screen beyond his football background.
Below we take a look at Jenas’ career to date:
England appearances and a solid club career
Born in 1983, Jenas began his footballing career with Nottingham Forest, making his first team debut at the age of 17, before moving to Newcastle United in 2002.
He spent the majority of his career with Tottenham Hotspur, making 155 appearances and scoring 21 goals from 2005 to 2013, before signing with Queens Park Rangers.
Jenas has also made 21 appearances for England, scoring one goal in a friendly against Switzerland at Wembley in 2008.
After suffering a knee injury during training in April 2014, he announced his retirement from football in 2016.
BBC’s Rising Star
Jenas began his career as a football pundit after his contract with Queens Park Rangers expired in 2014.
He first appeared on ITV Sport as a Europa League analyst.
The same year he began appearing regularly as a guest on BBC shows Match Of The Day and BT Sports.
Jenas earned between £190,000 and £194,999 with the BBC for his work on the FA Cup, Match of the Day and World Cup. This is according to official statistics released last year.
The married father of four joined The One Show in 2020 as a replacement co-host after Matt Baker’s departure, and became a permanent presenter the following year.
“There are two sides to every story”
BBC News reported that Jenas was released from his contract this week over alleged workplace conduct issues. He was accused of sending unsolicited digital communications, such as text messages.
The allegations were reportedly raised with the company several weeks ago. The BBC announced Jenas’ departure on Thursday, but did not provide further details about the allegations.
Jenas was asked about the allegations during a live talkSPORT broadcast when the reports emerged, but refused to respond.
“Look, I can’t really say much about it,” he said, “I’m not happy about it, as you can probably tell, but as it stands I’ll just have to leave it to the lawyers.
“You know, there are two sides to every story, so that’s all I can say at this point.”
The statement continued: “We have worked with Jermaine to decide that he will continue to host the show.”
They also said: “There are no plans for Jermaine to appear as a presenter on talkSPORT in the foreseeable future.”
His agency, MC Search, said they would no longer represent him following the news of his dismissal.
TNT Sport said they would not comment on Jenas’ employment at the BBC. It is not expected that he will appear on any TNT channels in the coming weeks.