Zimbabwe cricket star Brendan Taylor on Monday came out with a shocking revelation that he was given cocaine by an Indian businessman during his India visit and was blackmailed with videos of his inebriated condition. Taylor has alleged that the businessman put pressure on him to engage in match fixing.
In a detailed four-page letter uploaded on social media, Taylor said he confessed to ICC and going to visit a rehabilitation centre.
“In late October 2019, I was approached by an Indian businessman requesting that I attend India to discuss sponsorship and potential launch of a T20 competition in Zimbabwe and was advised that I could be paid US$ 15,000 to make journey…
We had drinks and during the course of the evening they openly offered me cocaine, which they themselves engaged in, and I foolishly took the bait. I’ve gone over it a million times since and still feel sick to my stomach reliving that night and how they played me,” said Taylor.
The cricketer said next day morning “the same men stormed “ into his hotel room and showed video taken in the previous night and told him that if he did not spot fix at international matches for them, the video would be released to the public.
Without naming anyone, Taylor said six men threatened him and gave him US$15,000 and promised additional US$20,000 after I completed the job of match-fixing. .
“I took money so I could get on a plane and leave India. I felt I had no choice at the time because saying no was clearly not an option. All I knew was I had to get out of there,” he said.
Taylor said that after this incident he was suffering from stress which severely impacted his mental and physical health. “The ‘businessman’ wanted a return on his investment which I could not and would not give. It took me four months to report this offense and interaction to the ICC,” said Taylor, adding that ICC is going to impose a multi-year ban on him.
“And so, I would like to let you know that on Tuesday January 25 I am checking into a rehabilitation center to get clean and to get my life back on track,” said Taylor in his four-page long letter on the harassment he faced from the Indian betting syndicate