Wasps rally round Odogwu after fan sparks outrage
WASPS have leapt to the defence of Paolo Odogwu after the winger shared his outrage over a comment left on the club’s Facebook page.
On Tuesday morning, the Gallagher Premiership club posted a black square on its official page along with the message ‘We are all Wasps, We are all equal. BLM #Saynotoracism #Blackouttuesday’. However, a back and then screen-grabbed the subsequent comment from one of the discussion and tweeted Wasps with page’s 96,000 followers, the message: “Wasps Rugby are claiming it ‘achieved nothing’ we sure we want this person and ‘merely gives media to as a ‘fan’? Cuz I’m not sure control the narrative, but I’d want anyone who has wouldn’t want to get in the the audacity to claim that way of victim hood points “I’ve never experienced now would we’ was systematic racism in my responded to by Odogwu, life” coming to our games. who joined Wasps from Sale Paolo Odogwu Something that has been a Sharks last summer. part of my life for all 23 years.”
The 23-year-old twice commented Odogwu’s tweet received more than 340 likes and team-mate Jacob Umaga also shared his thoughts. He said in a tweet: “Why’s there always got to be people bringing it down? Everyone is spreading love and awareness but there’s always someone to try knock us back, this dude ain’t welcome no more.”
Three hours after Odogwu’s tweet, Wasps responded with a message that has been praised by supporters. It read: “Real Wasps fans are tolerant
and stand up against all forms of discrimination. We got you Paolo! Time to educate.”
Long-serving prop Simon Mcintyre, also shared his thoughts after retweeting his team-mate Odogwu’s original message.
He tweeted: “It’s a bit surprising that people still don’t have more knowledge about this issue given that it has been inter-generational and interminable but unfortunately this viewpoint is not isolated. So here’s a few of my thoughts as a black man in this country.” Mcintyre continued: “To be silent is complicit. Keep this same energy from this day forward or risk condemning this movement to another empty meaningless Instagram trend.”
This gained the support of Mcintyre’s former Wasps colleague Kearnan Myall, who left the club last summer to commence studies at Oxford University. He said in a tweet: “It breaks my heart that black people are still having to convince white people that racism exists, in every walk of life, even if we don’t immediately recognise it.”