Two gay men say England vice-captain and allrounder Ben Stokes was defending them from homophobic abuse when arrested following an incident outside a Bristol nightclub.
Kai Barry, 26, and Billy O’Connell, 20, have told London’s Sun newspaper Stokes came to their aid by standing up to threatening bullies.
Stokes was arrested in September on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm and released without charge but remains under police investigation.
The 26-year-old, who also suffered a broken finger, will not be with the rest of England’s Ashes squad who arrive in Perth on Sunday Australian time, having been suspended following the incident.
Barry and O’Connell claim they met the New Zealand-born Test cricketer and his England team-mate Alex Hales in a nightclub on the evening in question and Stokes bought them drinks.
The pair said they had no idea who they were.
It was reported Stokes and Hales were later walking along the road near the pair, after leaving the nightclub, when Barry and O’Connell were subjected to homophobic abuse.
“We were so grateful to Ben for stepping in to help. He was a real hero,” O’Connell said.
“Kai feared he could be attacked. If Ben hadn’t intervened it could have been a lot worse for us.”
Barry added: “I’m not a fighter and we didn’t want a fight. We could’ve been in real trouble. Ben was a real gentleman.”
The pair claimed they had been unaware of the repercussions of the incident, only finding out when “a policeman came round this week”, according to Barry.
“Ben is a really nice guy and I hope he can still play for England in the Ashes,” O’Connell added.
“It would be awful (if) his career was ruined over this. He was just trying to help defend Kai.”
Journalist and TV presenter Piers Morgan, a celebrity acquaintance of several cricketers, claimed at the time that the fight occurred after Stokes and Hales had defended two gay men from homophobic abuse.
Neil Fairbrother, Stokes’ agent with International Sports Management, has said the star will offer a full explanation of his actions “when the time is right”.
He has not been ruled out of the five-Test series in Australia, which starts on November 23 but the England and Wales Cricket Board will not consider him for selection until further notice as it awaits developments.
Chris Love
Guest
Have you even seen the video?
Chris Love
Guest
By some of the comments here It sounds like no one has been threatened with deadly force before. Nor have they seen the countless situations where deadly force (and wielding a bottle in a fight is definitely that) has been used, given a second chance and they didn't take it. The person giving the chance ends up getting stabbed and the like. Someone attacks you holding a weapon and you manage to get the upper hand you better make sure you put them in a position where they no longer have a say in your safety. Don't do that and you're asking for trouble.
anon
Roar Pro
Stokes -- and the two gay men he had just met, bought drinks for, and left the club with -- should have just walked away rather than take the bait from some homophobes itching for a fight. He had his chance to walk away when the guy had his hands up indicating he surrenders. Still, Stokes with the brutal assault. It's good that the two men came forward to give this incident some context, but you can't just go around maiming people because they said something offensive. Doesn't matter if they've said it to a wife, girlfriend, or a couple of men you had just gone home with from a bar.
Jake
Guest
Load of carp. Regardless of what the people were allegedly saying, you can't just clock someone for saying something you don't like. Schoolyard stuff. The men weren't physically attacked by the alleged abusers Funny that David Warner got pilloried for hitting Joe Root (who was apparently taking the mickey out of Monty) yet Stokes bashes a guy who had his hands up and some claim he is hero. Pathetic
jameswm
Guest
Soooo predictable. For the first part of the fight maybe excusable. But then he went on with it when the guy was leaving. THat's the bad part.
James
Guest
the ex army guy was holding a bottle when he first attacked Stokes though, yeah Stokes kept going way too long but he was initially attacked by someone with a bottle, if someone attacks you with a bottle you are allowed to put them down. you should run away though.
dave
Guest
Anyone know where i can place a bet on Stokes playing the Ashes. I want in.
Mike Dugg
Guest
Stokes still hit a guy who had his hands up and was backing away. The guy could've hit his head and died. Plus Stokes has a bad history off the field including the recent discrimination against a mentally challenged young boy.
Matt P
Roar Rookie
I agree. However, it doesn't lessen the illegality of his actions, and he should still be punished accordingly.
Rock
Guest
To be honest, IF what they say is true and they were barking out homophobic slurs and threatening that gay couple, then the bigots deserved everything Stokes gave to them. That is if what they're saying is true.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
So Stokes is to be seen as the knight in shining armour coming to the rescue of those being threatened? An interesting take on the events. I am not convinced that footage backs that up when Stokes throws a plethora of punches long after any threat or aggression from the other parties had ended. I would also hint that "when the time is right" should be interpreted as when they can make up a story that sounds really convincing.
Not so super
Guest
Sounds suspicious, I would like to see whether either of these men have received an injection of funds into their bank accounts recently
PeterK
Roar Guru
Stokes should still be banned. He chased the others , his mates tried to pull him back but kept at it. The guys he hit were trying to escape not continue a fight. Even if they were bad guys or homophobic still no excuse to go on with it, they were no longer a threat.
James
Guest
I keep forgetting that the guy initially had a bottle when he swung at Stokes.