Oxford City striker, Lee Steele has been dismissed for his homophobic tweet concerning rugby player Gareth Thomas, currently in Celebrity Big Brother.

The striker said that he wouldn't fancy the bed next to Gareth Thomas, followed by an explicit remark.

Lee Steele's manager, Mike Ford called him to tell him that he had gone too far and that he had to be dismissed for his comment. In his defence, however, he did point out that although he had made a homophobic comment, it did not necessarily follow that he is homophobic. Ben Cohen, a former rugby player who has devoted himself to tackling homophobia in sport commented that "If you are a sportsman you're a role model and people look up to you no matter what division you're in."

The recent Liverpool Football Club player, Luis Suarez's ban for racist comments highlights the need for something to be done to combat racism in sport also. Last year England Captain, John Terry was also in the news for racist comments, which he denied. These instances have highlighted the need for a change in attitudes not only in football but in the world of sport. The dismissal of Lee Steele for his comments show that it is all the more important to tackle discrimination in areas where people are perceived as role models.

Liverpool Walton MP, Steve Rotheram wants to see sport acting in the forefront of a campaign to end this kind of behaviour. “Sport should be rightly proud that in many ways it has led the field in tackling social issues such as racism, homophobia and sectarianism and it will be interesting to see what conclusions the select committee draw from the evidence session."

For his alleged racist comments to Manchester United player Patrice Evra, Liverpool player Suarez, was suspended from taking part in his next 8 matches as well as been given a £40, 000 fine from the Football Association. The Prime Minister agrees that football should use its influence to help tackle discrimination and in particular, racism. "Football has this incredible power for good and we need to do everything we can to harness that," said the Prime Minister. "One area in particular where I know the football community as a whole has done a lot of good over the years - really setting the example - is tackling racism”.

These examples should make employees aware of how their behaviour can have an effect on the company they work in and that this becomes more of an issue when working directly with the public or if you are seen to be in position of responsibility. Discrimination, of any kind should never be tolerated and employers must ensure that they have clear written procedures to prevent it and to ensure their staff are aware of its consequences. Public facing employers are more likely to have to make an example out of employees who discriminate or harass others. An example had to be made out of Lee Steele despite his comparatively low rank in football because of the public nature of his role.