Self-Indulgent & Totally Insensitive: Richard Keys' Supposed 'Tribute' to Terry Yorath Causes Outrage

Richard Keys Offers Dismal Tribute To Terry Yorath That Has Been Branded Insensitive And Selfish

Terry Yorath, a legend of Welsh football, having captained and managed the national team, has died at the age of 75.

News of Yorath's passing was met with tributes from across the world of football, including from Premier League side Leeds United, Coventry City and Bradford City, just a few of the clubs that remember the legend fondly for his contributions to them.

🤍 Everyone at Leeds United is devastated to learn of the passing of club legend Terry Yorath.

Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Terry’s family, friends and former teammates at this incredibly sad time.

Rest in peace, Terry. pic.twitter.com/51JHIJNvyf

— Leeds United (@LUFC) January 8, 2026

At the forefront of people's thoughts has been Gabby Logan, the respected and successful BBC presenter, who is Terry Yorath's daughter.

Logan was filming the latest instalment of Match of the Day live on Wednesday night when she was made aware of a family emergency, which saw Mark Chapman step in to finish the coverage of the show.

👏 Mark Chapman stepped in midway through Match of the Day after Gabby Logan was forced to leave due to a family emergency.

Fresh from presenting a full night of Premier League coverage on radio, Chapman ran straight into the studio — out of breath, no fuss, total… pic.twitter.com/zqKjit2gU1

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Footballtweet) January 8, 2026

Unfortunately, the emergency was indeed the passing of her father, to which icons of English and Welsh football paid their tributes and spared their thoughts for her family.

A strong presence in midfield, Yorath was one of several players who embodied the spirit of Don Revie's Leeds side, for whom he was a regular in their 1973/74 title-winning season.

He went on to captain Coventry, as well as the Welsh national team, also representing Tottenham Hotspur and Vancouver Whitecaps later in his career, before joining Bradford as a player-manager.

Tragedy struck during Yorath's time at Bradford, as he was one of many trying to help supporters during the devastating Valley Parade fire in 1985, a stadium disaster that claimed 56 lives.

Yorath famously came agonisingly close to managing Wales to qualification for the 1994 World Cup, falling short in the final game before the tournament. It would have been their first appearance in the competition since 1958.

Recognised for his remarkable contributions to football in the country, Terry Yorath was inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame in 2017 after devoting over 40 years to the game as a player and manager.

Grief Overshadowed

Unfortunately, much of the attention of the sad passing of Yorath has been on a different figure, one who has been accused of making the news all about himself.

Richard Keys is a sports show presenter at beIN Sports and has also worked at Sky Sports, where he left after allegedly making derogatory comments about the fitness of female football officials which were recorded and leaked.

Upon hearing of Yorath's passing, Keys took to X to add his own tributes, but his words have stirred outrage among fans and broadcasters alike for being seen to have made the situation about himself and his longstanding feud with Yorath's daughter, Gabby Logan.

Sad to hear the news of Terry Yorath’s passing. He was a warrior & won fans over wherever he played. He was great for us at Coventry & the reason I got Gabby a job at Sky. I had no idea who she was when we met but I knew her dad. RIP Terry. Your daughter did you proud.

— Richard Keys (@richardajkeys) January 8, 2026

The general consensus, and one that is difficult to disagree with, is that his message was insensitive and utterly self-indulgent, taking the opportunity to claim credit for starting Logan's career in sports broadcasting in a thinly veiled 'tribute' to Yorath.

Keys' words read as an egotistical punt to remind people of his stance in his belief of being the reason Logan works as a presenter.

Other broadcasters have shared their condolences, while also taking time to let Keys know that his attempt has missed the mark, if you can even call it an attempt at a tribute.

Dan Walker and Laura Woods took slightly different approaches to it, with the former putting together a plea for Keys to rethink his wording, while Woods offered a bit more brutal honesty on her thoughts.

Richard, just imagine what it would be like for Gabby, or a member of her family, to read this.
I’m hoping you have just worded this badly and it isn’t a dig at a really difficult time.
There is still time to change it. https://t.co/TkP2gBxXGE

— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) January 8, 2026

Sorry…but what a tw*t. Said with zero surprise. https://t.co/3gCKKY7bbU

— Laura Woods (@laura_woodsy) January 8, 2026

Woods added: "Also want to add my respects to the thousands of others who are showing theirs compassionately to a much beloved broadcaster and her family. Sending all my love x."

Keys later responded, but made sure not to issue anything resembling an apology to the Yorath family, instead doubling down on his previous post in an attempt to explain his stance.

What a shame my words for a footballing hero of mine were entirely misinterpreted. Terry Yorath was a fabulous guy. A warrior. My affection for him meant I was more than happy to help him & his family in any way I could. Gabby’s career would make any father proud. RIP Terry.

— Richard Keys (@richardajkeys) January 8, 2026

The Longstanding Feud

Gabby Logan began her sports broadcasting career in 1996 with Sky Sports, though Richard Keys consistently tries to take credit for the beginning of her career, a claim he clearly added to when issuing a 'tribute' to Terry Yorath.

Logan and Keys have had very public disputes over the years, particularly in 2022 when the former published her memoir, with extracts that featured less-than-flattering claims and stories about Keys.

She had referred to him as a 'cruel dinosaur' that was 'waiting to go extinct' as a result of some of the comments he had made about women that she claims to have overheard.

Keys' response was vocal, including telling the Telegraph, "I did more for her (Logan), in the early part of her career, than anybody."

He has previously referred to her as a 'handful' and claimed that she was difficult to work with.

Regardless of opinions of either of the two broadcasters, it's clear that Richard Keys has shown his severe lack of class and emotional intelligence in his recent posts about Yorath's passing, instead opting to take a dig at Logan and again claiming to have been the reason she has a career.

Keys crossed the line with his self-indulgent tribute, and his lack of ability to issue a genuine apology tells just as much of a story as his initial words.