Jermaine Jenas breaks silence on return to talkSPORT as disgraced pundit addresses BBC scandal
Jermaine Jenas has broken his silence on his return to football commentary with talkSPORT - months after being sacked by the BBC for alleged inappropriate behaviour.
Jenas was confirmed by the BBC as no longer being part of their line-up back in August.
He later admitted to sending 'inappropriate messages' to two BBC colleagues, though stated that they were not sexual and that he did 'nothing illegal'.
There have been two further allegations made against the 41-year-old since then in relation to unsolicited text messages, which Jenas denies.
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Prior to his BBC sacking, Jenas was a regular commentator on FA Cup and England matches for the terrestrial broadcaster. He also presented The One Show and featured on Match of the Day.
Just minutes after his sacking was reported in the press, Jenas was presenting a show on talkSPORT in what was his debut appearance on the radio station.
The Daily Mail reported earlier this week that he had agreed a deal to return to commentary with talkSPORT for this weekend's FA Cup clash between Aston Villa and Tottenham.
It was claimed that some staff had told bosses they would refuse to work with Jenas, and that others were left 'angered amid a perceived lack of consultation'.
In a separate article published on Friday morning, the Daily Mail's Mike Keegan claimed that three people - who were due to work on the Villa versus Spurs game - had refused 'point blank' to work alongside him.
Now, talkSPORT have released footage of an interview with Jenas, which was been conducted by one of the station's regular presenters, Shebahn Aherne.
He began by stating: "I think the last six or seven months have been extremely tough, for myself and my family. But it's also been a really good opportunity to take stock, and I suppose have a good look at why you find yourself in these situations. And have some honest conversations with yourself, and with other people. People who have been close to you and very supportive during this time."
When asked to give a response to people who will 'have a problem' with his return - and to offer assurances that he had changed - Jenas replied: "The biggest thing in this whole situation is about taking responsibility. That has been at the forefront of my mind.
"'You need to take responsibility for your actions. There's a reason you're in this position and there's a reason why it's happened.' Once you accept those things, then you can work on yourself and work on the other things, and work on your family. And work towards a brighter future.
"I'm obviously very grateful to talkSPORT, to give me the opportunity to talk to yourself and get back to doing what I love most. Essentially, this is about me looking inwards, making some improvements and coming back a better person."
When challenged that his behaviour was 'wildly inappropriate', and whether he agreed, Jenas replied: "Of course, yeah. That's what taking responsibility is about. It was inappropriate.
"I made a mistake. And I made a mistake that, essentially, is something that me, my wife and my family have to deal with."
When asked how difficult the last months have been for his wife and family, Jenas said: "When you have, I suppose, been living in a way that's not been fit, really, for the position that you have, and when you put other people's lives in a position that they didn't ask for... Kids have been going to school with the press following them. My wife's getting followed to the gym, to work.
"I put other people in a scenario that they didn't ask to be put into.
"Granted, some people will look at it and go, 'Well, we've had some good times with you and we'll suffer the bad times'. It's not about that. It's about me realising that they didn't deserve to be in that position."
Topics: Football
Ryan Smart