England legend Jill Scott believes humour is the key to breaking down barriers in the football media industry amid calls for Roy Keane to be ‘cancelled’ following a joke made on The Overlap.
Scott is a regular on the Stick to Football podcast, alongside some of the greats of the English game, including Gary Neville, Ian Wright and Paul Scholes.
But it was a joke from Keane in the show’s most recent episode that landed the ex-Manchester United midfielder in some hot water.
Scott was recounting a story from a charity match where former West Ham striker Marlon Harewood ‘smashed’ into her, to which Keane cheekily replied: “And what was the game like?"
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The room erupted into laughter, with some of the panellists berating Keane, while Scott quickly laughed the jibe off, insisting to the producers it had to be kept in the show.
The reaction has been mixed, but according to Scott herself, it’s all above the belt - in fact, she’s heard much worse.
“The lads take the mick out of me just as I take the mick out of them," she told Express Sport. “Sometimes I think, you can use humour to break down barriers and we’ll have laughs and jokes.
“Look when I was in the women’s game, in the changing rooms, we probably had worse banter than you see on the podcast.
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“It’s not like we’re protected because we’re females. For me, it really suits my personality,” she continued.
“I was always up for a laugh, as soon as I crossed that white line I was so serious as a player.”
Scott was no stranger to confrontation - friendly or otherwise - during her time as a player, with the ex-Manchester City ace perhaps unsurprisingly revealing hardman midfielder Keane was an idol to her growing up.
“They’re great, they’re just great guys,” she said at a Padel Pro Am tournament in Manchester this week.
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“I looked up to Roy Keane my whole life, he was my hero. It’s probably why I go around smashing people.
“I remember being an eight-year-old reading his autobiography. I do feel like we’ve become friends through the podcast.”
The pair certainly have a unique rapport, one which, as explained by Scott, comes from them enjoying a sibling-style relationship.
“They’ve [the panel] all got good banter actually,” the Euro 2022 winner added.“I quite like I’ve got different relationships with each one.
“I think Roy and I annoy each other. It’s kind of just sitting there with three brothers. I really enjoy it.”
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