The Yorkshire interim coach Ryan Sidebottom has apologised for using “a poor choice of words” when suggesting in a television interview that the county should “forget” the racism scandal that has led to the resignations of chairman Roger Hutton and chief executive Mark Arthur and the dismissals of 16 members of staff. Sidebottom, the former Yorkshire and England bowler, joined the coaching staff last week on an interim basis to work under the county’s new director of cricket, Darren Gough. While discussing his new position, and the scandal sparked by Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of racism at the county, he told Sky Sports: “It’s been tough viewing, tough listening, seeing social media. It’s been very difficult for lots of reasons for a lot of people. Let’s try and forget about it. “There’s no room for racism in any walk of life and hopefully now we can move forward, sort things out, do the right thing and get Yorkshire back firing on all cylinders. But it’s been a tough couple of months hasn’t it for Yorkshire and everyone at the club.” Rafiq, who alleged he had been the victim of racism and harassment during two spells at Headingley as a player, responded to Sidebottom’s comments on Twitter. “Let’s definitely not just ‘Forget it’. Learn from it and make things better,” he wrote. “Wish it was that easy just to forget it and pretend nothing happened.” Rafiq also claimed he had reached out to Sidebottom privately before responding, without reply. Sidebottom later apologised, saying: “I disagree wholeheartedly with discrimination and fully support all investigations and actions surrounding any racial abuse at Yorkshire. In my interview with Sky Sports News, I used the word ‘forget’. This is not what I meant. I didn’t mean that the situation should be forgotten about, on the contrary, it must never be forgotten. “It was a poor choice of words. It is crucial that the club, and sport as a whole, learns and adapts to create a truly inclusive environment for all, at all levels. I apologise for any offence caused. I am now focused on supporting the playing group at Yorkshire CCC on the pitch.” He described his choice of words as “wrong, and an honest mistake”. The 43-year-old, who began and ended his playing career at Headingley, winning three County Championships, was appointed as interim coach at Yorkshire alongside his former England teammate Steve Harmison. The England and Wales Cricket Board’s investigation into Rafiq’s allegations and Yorkshire’s handling of the case is still continuing.