Gray Clouds Overhead

            

            A commentator born in Glasgow Scotland has shown a fabulous mastery of the English language.

            Andy Gray has been omnipresent in the Premier League since its birth in 1992. He has been the voice of soccer for this generation. Yet thanks to some unflattering off the pitch comments, Gray’s voice could be forever muted.

            The former face of Sky Sports was fired in January for sexist comments made towards colleague Charlotte Jackson. There is a possibility that the Euro 2012 final could be the last we ever hear of Gray.

The announcer’s story began on the pitch. Gray first broke into soccer in 1975 with Dundee United. The striker managed to put up 178 career goals and held a spot on Scotland’s national team from 1975-1985. Gray retired from the game in 1990, and became Sky Sports’ most notable announcer just two years later.

Soccer and Gray have gone together like tea and crumpets. Gray’s voice was a staple for soccer’s premiere video game franchise for over 15 years. The announcer has been a member of ESPN’s soccer coverage since 2008. All the while, Gray has earned around $2.7 million in his career.

Gray built his career on his strong opinions. The announcer called out Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo for flopping on the pitch in the 2008 World Cup. Even though his words were harsh, Gray’s criticism held merit.

However, Gray’s illustrious career will flame out in controversy. Earlier in January, Gray suggested that lineswoman Sian Massey did not know the offside rule. In addition to those comments, Gray’s remarks towards Jackson were undoubtedly unacceptable.

Even if Gray’s comments were “lighthearted quips” on-air personalities are held to a higher standard. Announcers and pundits can critique players, decisions, and off air laundry. Still, when it comes to issues of sex, religion, or race, those jokes are on-air taboos.

Even after being fired from Sky Sports, expect Gray to be back with a different network. If Don Imus is still on the air after what he said about Rutgers Women basketball players, then Gray should be able to announce again. It will take some time for the incident to blow over, yet that is fine. The Olympics don’t start until July 25 anyway.

After playing football for 25 years, Gray has given two decades more to announcing the game. His style and knowledge of the game have been applauded for 20 years. However, because of the controversy the voice of soccer may not be able to graciously take a bow.