UK awards knighthood to girlfriend-beating cricketer who complained he'd have to black up to get the honor

Geoffrey Boycott was once a famous sportsman, but is now a domestic abuser convicted of beating up his girlfriend in a French hotel and leaving her to pay the bill. He's being knighted.

Boycott was fined 5,000 and given a three-month suspended sentence in 1998 after being convicted of beating his then-girlfriend Margaret Moore in a French Riviera hotel. ...

Asked about the criticism from Women's Aid by presenter Martha Kearney on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Boycott responded: "I don't give a toss about her, love. It was 25 years ago so you can take your political nature and do whatever you want with it."

From the BBC's original story about his conviction and failed appeal, in 1998:

During the trial, the court was told that Boycott pinned Miss Moore down and punched her 20 times in the face before checking out and leaving her to pay the bill.

Margaret Moore said she was punched in the face 20 times
Boycott denied the allegations, saying 45-year-old Miss Moore had slipped after flying into a rage when he refused to marry her.

He said he had decided to leave the hotel after "becoming sick and tired of telling her that I am not going to [marry her], I am not the marrying kind".

Bear in mind that he was convicted in a French court decades ago; just last week, the New York Times reported on France's failed attempts to "Get Serious About Domestic Violence" in 2019. His behavior was egregious by such standards.

Boycott has complained about not being knighted earlier, offering interesting remarks about black cricketers who have been.

Speaking to VIP guests at a Q&A session which cost 300 a ticket, the 76-year-old said knighthoods were handed out like "confetti" to West Indies greats.

The BBC pundit told Sky Sports presenter Gary Newbon: "Mine's been turned down twice. I'd better black me face."

The audience reportedly reacted with "uneasy silence" at the luxury hospitality event.

Even the right-wing Sunday Express, a tabloid whose logo is a crusader with an English flag shield, described this as a "racist tirade."

His employer, the BBC, was fine with it, obviously.