Michael Vaughan has been stood down by the BBC from Radio 5 live’s Tuffers and Vaughan Show on Monday after two cricketers said they heard the former England captain make racist comments while playing for Yorkshire in 2009. The decision came after Vaughan, who has worked as an expert summariser and analyst on Test Match Special for 12 years, was accused of telling three players of Asian descent that there were “too many of you lot, we need to do something about it” before a county match in Nottingham. It is understood that the temporary suspension is to allow senior managers at the BBC more time to investigate the allegations against Vaughan, who has been an expert analyst, commentator and presenter at the corporation since 2009 and it could yet be extended. It was reported on Thursday night that Yorkshire will launch an investigation after another former player came forward to allege being subjected to racist abuse while at the club. The unnamed player, who is of Asian heritage, was quoted in the Daily Mail to have been victim of incidents of racist abuse that was “both blatant and sly” in the early 2000s. Vaughan did not respond to a request from the Guardian for comment. In his Daily Telegraph column on Thursday evening, where he first revealed that he had been implicated in a report into Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of institutional racism at the county, he said he “completely and categorically” denied using those words. However, his denials were then challenged by a second Yorkshire player, the former Pakistan all-rounder Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, who said he had heard Vaughan’s comments. Rana, who was the club’s overseas player at the time, and was alongside Rafiq at Trent Bridge in 2009, confirmed he would be happy to give evidence to any inquiry. On Friday evening it emerged the Equality and Human Rights Commission had made contact with Yorkshire requesting access to the full independent report into Rafiq’s claims and was considering whether or not to pursue action against the club. In a statement, the BBC said it took “allegations of racism extremely seriously” and had taken the decision because the Tuffers and Vaughan Show focuses on topical matters. “The allegation against Michael Vaughan predates his time working for the BBC, we were not part of the investigation conducted by Yorkshire County Cricket Club and we have had no access to the subsequent report,” the statement read. “However, we were made aware of a single allegation which Michael strongly denies and we have been monitoring the situation closely. “We have made the editorial decision that Michael won’t appear as a presenter on 5 live’s Tuffer’s and Vaughan show on Monday. The show focuses on topical discussion around current cricketing matters and given his personal involvement, we need to ensure we maintain the impartiality of the programme. We remain in discussion with Michael and his team.” On Thursday Vaughan said he had been “gobsmacked” to read that his name was in the 100-page report produced by an independent investigation panel looking into claims of institutional racism at the county and strongly denied the allegations, relating to a match at Trent Bridge. “That the allegation came completely out of the blue and more than a decade after it was alleged to have happened made it all the more difficult to process,” he wrote. “I completely and categorically deny that I ever said those words.” Vaughan also said he had been asked to take part in an independent panel that was investigating allegations of racism at Yorkshire in December 2020 but had declined to go having had just a few hours’ notice of such serious claims made against him. “I take it as the most serious allegation ever put in front of me and I will fight to the end to prove I am not that person,” he said. “I have nothing to hide. The ‘you lot’ comment never happened. Anyone trying to recollect words said 10 years ago will be fallible but I am adamant those words were not used.” “During the summer, I told my colleagues at the BBC that these allegations had been made against me,” he added. “I felt uncomfortable that it could emerge and they would be asked some awkward questions. Similarly, I am speaking now because it is right for people to hear my side and that I completely deny the allegations.” Vaughan’s implication in the saga came 24 hours after his former teammate Gary Ballance admitted he had used a racial slur in conversations with Rafiq. However, the Zimbabwe-born Ballance claimed he and Rafiq “remained closest friends throughout the time we exchanged these inappropriate comments” with his teammate travelling to Zimbabwe to stay with Ballance’s family. The sports lawyer Richard Cramer told the Guardian the BBC’s decision to suspend Vaughan from one episode of his radio show was not a surprise and would give them breathing space before acting. “In law a suspension is technically regarded as a neutral act,” he said. “And it gives time for whoever’s making the decisions to go on a fact-finding mission. Organisations should not act as a judge and jury straight away when allegations are made against somebody.”