League Championship Reading striker Jason Roberts has claimed that Professional Footballers Association Chair Clarke Carlisle "has heaped further abuse on victims of racial discrimination" by describing Rio and Anton Ferdinand as “s***houses” in his autobiography -- language which Roberts considers “disgusting” and inappropriate for a players' union leader, according to Ian Herbert of the London INDEPENDENT. Carlisle made the outspoken attack "in response to the boycott of the Kick it Out anti-racism T-shirt campaign." Roberts "staunchly defended the action the players took," stating that Carlisle and the PFA "were made acutely aware last year of the concerns of around 30 black players." He said Carlisle has “misrepresented” the concerns of those players, who have made detailed proposals for change in a document -- entitled The Way Forward -- which was "distributed to the PFA and other governing bodies last year." Roberts said, "Clarke’s comments have totally misrepresented and trivialized what was a highly sensitive and emotive issue in the football industry, and players like Anton now find themselves being subjected to abusive language, when they have been on the receiving end of abuse and victimisation" (INDEPENDENT, 9/14).
