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Gareth Thomas being part of ITV’s World Cup team ‘immoral’ after HIV settlement, says Andy Goode
Former Leicester and England back castigates broadcaster's employment of pundit after he paid former partner £75,000 in High Court claim
Andy Goode, the former England player, says it is “immoral” ITV still uses Gareth Thomas on rugby coverage after he agreed a £75,000 settlement with an ex-partner who accused him of “deceptively” transmitting him with HIV.
The former Wales rugby captain has been a fixture on the channel’s World Cup coverage, and last provided analysis on Sunday as his country trounced Australia.
However, referring to a resolved High Court claim lodged by Ian Baum, Goode, a fellow pundit and former player with Leicester, wrote in an outspoken post on X: “It’s actually immoral that Gareth Thomas is on our TV screens.”
Thomas had agreed a settlement in January after it was alleged he had failed to take “reasonable care” to ensure he did not pass on the infection during his on-off relationship with Baum.
Goode added: “Imagine a straight man doing what he did, they wouldn’t get another TV gig ever.”
Telegraph Sport has approached Thomas for comment.
In January, Baum and Thomas both expressed relief that their case had been resolved.
Baum’s lawyers, McCue Jury & Partners, said the settlement represented “significant vindication for our client after an eight-year ordeal.”
The claim against Thomas in August last year was for at least £150,000 and court papers claimed Baum saw Thomas between September 2013 and May 2016. Baum stated he did not have HIV when the relationship started and it was alleged that Thomas hid his HIV status.
McCue Jury & Partners added of the claims against Thomas: “Not only are these civil wrongs, but criminal offences.”
However, both BBC Wales and ITV have continued to use Thomas as an analyst, having been satisfied his conduct did not breach company guidelines.
Baum claimed he witnessed Thomas taking antiviral medicine and was told they were vitamin tablets. Thomas, however, denied that he misled Baum about his HIV positive condition. He also said they did not have sex for four months after getting together because he “sustained an injury”.
In announcing the case had been settled, Thomas, a patron of the Terrence Higgins Trust, wrote in his statement that “paying £75k plus costs now is nothing compared to the many multiples of that sum I’d have had to pay to successfully defend myself in court”.
Thomas revealed in an interview and BBC documentary in 2019 that he had HIV. He revealed he was gay in 2009 towards the end of a distinguished playing career.