Geoff Boycott and Domestic Abuse. What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?

Boycott knows about cricket.  He is an informative and sometimes entertaining commentator.  He was a prolific, if rather dull English Test batsman.  On the announcement of his knighthood he could have respectfully played the inevitable questions about his past domestic abuse, respectfully back down the pitch, saying it was a long time ago and he was against all forms of domestic abuse.  He didn’t though.  He knows best and replied to criticism of the gifting of a knighthood to a convicted domestic abuser with “It was 25 years ago, love.  I don’t give a toss”.  The “love” word added in response to female questioner, no doubt encapsulating his attitude to all women.  His response was simplistic, highlighting his careless, as in couldn’t care less, attitude to the harrowing nature of domestic abuse.  He does not accept his criminal conviction for assault in the French criminal court, claiming that his very badly bruised partner fell down.  Despite their being expert evidence given at his trial that the injuries the woman received could not have been caused by a fall as he claimed.  The injuries were apparently consistent with a beating.  The trial judge has only recently criticised his whole attitude to the proceedings.  The unwillingness of domestic abusers to accept that they are abusers is one of the major reasons why it is so difficult to reduce this type of crime.  People who have inflicted domestic abuse but are willing to accept that they have done wrong can receive counselling and treatment.   This is usually successful and repeat offences rare. Where it is particularly difficult to reduce the crime of domestic abuse is with the offender who won’t or can’t accept that he (or she) causes domestic abuse.

Boycott has similarly shown an ignorant and simplistic approach to the issues surrounding Brexit arguing that a “no deal Brexit” won’t be terrible because “We (sic) fought two world wars and came out on top”.  It turns out that Boycott knows little about most things, but he is a font of knowledge about cricket.  But as the great CLR James wrote in Beyond A Boundary, “What do that know of cricket, who only cricket know”.