Manchester City Staffer Wrote Email Worse Than Cancer To Nedum Onuoha’s Mum
DID Manchester City chief executive Garry Cook send an offensive message to the cancer-stricken mother of the team’s Nedum Onuoha? He says no. But Dr Anthonia Onuoha, who also works as her son’s agent, appears unconvinced. She has complained to the FA and Premier League about the e-mail she received. What she expects them to do is a moot point. The Premier League is a massive marketing department and the FA has less teeth than Albert Steptoe’s grandson.
The Sun says City are determined to find the emailer. Indeed, they say they already have.
The story goes that in October 2010 Dr Anthonia wrote to City’s football administrator, Brian Marwood. She said her body was “ravaged with cancer and ongoing chemotherapy” but she was still sharp of mind.
Two weeks later she, reportedly, received this:
“Brian. Ravaged with it!!……I don’t now how you sleep at night. You used to be such a nice man when I worked with you at nike.”
This site says that message was signed “G”.
Is it that offensive? It’s smutty and misogynistic and clubby and displays all the charm of a middle-aged man in a corporate office. The last time we saw Garry Cook he was executing a hideous handshake with Samir Nasri. Cook appeared the kind of character who wants to be mistaken for someone far younger.
Dr Anthonia, said to be “devastated” in the Sun replies to Cook:
“Thanks very much for your insightful e-mail.”
Cook reacts. He says he did not send the email. He says his e-mail account was “hacked” while he was on holiday in South Africa.
He tells Dr Anthonia (the Sun says these are Cook’s words but with hackers about we ask you to be more circumspect):
“I cannot and will not condone this unacceptable behaviour. I can confirm Brian did not receive this e-mail and disciplinary action is currently underway regarding one of our employees.”
He names no names. Cook apologises for “any hurt or embarrassment this may have caused“.
Well. That seems to be the beginning and the end of it. In these post-News of The World times when shagging footballers escape exposure, Cook’s non-email is big news.
Says Dr Anthonia without any hyperbole:
“When I opened up my e-mails and saw the message, it was the worst day of my life, even worse than being diagnosed with cancer.”
Well, who are we to judge. An email can be worse than cancer. Who knew?
“I couldn’t understand how anybody could behave like that. I just cried and cried for hours. I’m critically ill and at that point I was undergoing chemotherapy. I was just so shocked but I couldn’t tell Nedum or any of my family because I didn’t know how they would react.”
Does the player read the Sun?
“It’s incredible that any human being would write this. It’s unforgivable and I still cannot believe it. When Cook replied to me, he said that he was confused, that he’d been away on holiday in South Africa and that somebody had hacked into his e-mail account and that whoever sent the e-mail to Brian Marwood meant it as a practical joke. It was all very stressful at the time, in fact it still is. The illness I have is very stressful, I’m having chemotherapy and radiotherapy, including having radiotherapy on my brain and this year has been traumatic. I didn’t want anybody adding to my stress but that is what they’ve done.”
She adds:
The feeling of humiliation still persists. Now I just want the FA and the Premier League to see what’s happened and to take the appropriate action. Treating people like this is completely abominable.”
We only hope the female football agent finds relief from her stress and that “vile” email in the pages of a tabloid newspaper and the offices of the sweet FA…
Posted: 5th, September 2011 | In: Key Posts, Sports Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
