PFA: Reginald D Hunter ignored guidelines

The row over Reginald D Hunter’s appearance at the PFA Awards took a fresh twist when the agency which booked the controversial comedian accused him of going against its wishes by using offensive language during his act last weekend.

Hunter, a black comedian from Georgia in the United States, stunned some members of the audience at the ceremony in London on Sunday night with his repeated use of the n-word.

The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) came under fire for booking the 44-year-old, given the sensitivity around racism in football, but the organisation hit back on Monday.

The players’ union claimed that Hunter had refused to adhere to guidelines, laid out to the comedian by the PFA and the agency that booked him – London Speaker Bureau.

The London Speaker Bureau last night backed up the PFA’s claim with a statement which read: “The London Speaker Bureau supports the PFA’s statement in that Reginald’s use of language was not what was discussed as acceptable.”

PFA chairman Clarke Carlisle said he was “embarrassed” to sit through Hunter’s act, describing the decision to book the comedian as a “big mistake”.

The PFA had claimed that it had done extensive research into the comedian’s act prior to booking him but it emerged yesterday that Hunter joked about John Terry’s race trial – in which he was acquitted – in a televised show four months ago.

Hunter, who has won many awards and regularly appears on BBC shows like Live at the Apollo and Have I Got News for You, did not seem perturbed.

He posted two albums on his official Facebook page mocking those who have criticised him.

The first showed pictures of him performing at the ceremony, which he described as “Irony’s Annual Night Off”. The second, entitled “The PFA Awards – the horrible aftermath” contained pictures of Hunter posing for photos with smiling guests.