Jermaine Jenas has issued a fresh apology for his previous behaviour ahead of his return to punditry work with talkSPORT.
The former Newcastle and Tottenham midfielder – who was capped 21 times by England between 2003 and 2009 – was sacked by the BBC in August amid allegations of workplace misconduct after sending explicit texts to two female employees.
However, he is now set to serve as part of talkSPORT’s commentary team for this Sunday’s FA Cup clash between Aston Villa and Spurs.
Jenas, 41, appeared on talkSPORT as a guest on Friday when an interview of him talking to Shebahn Aherne was aired during Jim White’s mid-morning show.
He agreed with Aherne that his previous conduct had been ‘wildly inappropriate’.
‘Yeah, of course,’ he admitted. ‘That’s what taking responsibility is about. It was inappropriate.’
Jermaine Jenas appeared on talkSPORT on Friday to issue a fresh apology for his past conduct
Jenas was sacked by the BBC in August for sending explicit texts to two female employees
He continued: ‘I made a mistake. It was a mistake that is something that me and my wife and my family have to deal with.
‘I think that the big thing here is that your career is one thing. I worked 10 years post-retirement from being a footballer and I can take it as far back as I want from starting from nothing to becoming a footballer to getting myself in a very fortunate position to work on television.
‘It’s a lot of hard work that you put into the job, but at the same time, it can be taken away from you like that. That’s one thing that I’ve recognised.
‘When it is taken away from you like that, the only people there for you is your family and friends and it’s the people that are really close to you. That’s what has been my biggest support system during this period of time.
‘Me and my wife have had some honest conversations. Me and my family have had some honest conversations and that’s who this is really between.
‘So moving forward, that’s where my focus is, making sure that my kids are okay, my wife is supported and that I’m continually working on improving myself.
‘Essentially this is about me looking inwards, making some improvements and coming back a better person.’
Jenas has three children with wife Ellie, plus another from a previous relationship.
Liam Fisher, head of talkSPORT, added: ‘Jermaine Jenas addresses his past behaviour in this frank interview. He has a proven track record as a footballer turned pundit and we look forward to his expert commentary on Sunday as part of our coverage of 11 FA Cup commentaries across the weekend on the network.’
Jenas, 41, and his wife Ellie (right) have three children together, including two daughters
Ellie has been married to former Tottenham and Newcastle midfielder Jenas since 2011
Mail Sport reported earlier this week that talkSPORT’s decision to give work and airtime to Jenas had triggered serious unrest within the radio station.
The decision led some staff to tell bosses that they would refuse to work with the ex-midfielder and it left others angered by a perceived lack of consultation.
Prior to Friday, Jenas – who presented The One Show for the BBC – had not been heard on the airwaves since August.
He had been live on talkSPORT when news of his departure from the BBC was announced. Bosses at the station had been made aware of his sacking moments before he went on air.
It later emerged that his dismissal had been linked to him sexting two female employees at the BBC, where he also worked on Match Of The Day.
Jenas first issued an apology just days after his sacking.
Speaking to The Sun in August, Jenas said: ‘I am ashamed, and I am deeply sorry. I have let myself down, my family, friends and colleagues down, and I owe everyone an apology – especially the women with whom I was messaging. I am so, so sorry.
‘I am sorry for what I have put them through. I think it would be fair to say I have a problem. I know I self-sabotage and have a self-destructive streak when it comes to my relationship especially, and I know I need help. And I am getting help.
The talkSPORT interview that aired on Friday was conducted by journalist Shebahn Aherne
‘I have made a lot of mistakes, and I am asking myself a lot of questions at the moment. I know there’s a lot of work that needs to be done, and it will be hard.
‘Before any of this became public, I saw my private doctor and after a long discussion, booked in for therapy to try and address these issues, where they stem from, and why I have been doing this and hurting the people I love.’
At the time of his dismissal from the BBC, talkSPORT said there were no plans to work with Jenas, who also used to appear frequently on TNT Sports, in the near future.
Jenas previously admitted to sending sexualised texts to colleagues but said they were between consenting adults.
