Rafiq, a cricketer of Pakistani heritage and former captain of the England Under-19s, revealed last year that he felt like an outsider at Yorkshire and even considered suicide. Hutton, in his resignation letter, criticized the Yorkshire board and senior management for their unwillingness to apologize for racism and move forward. He admitted that during his time at the club, he witnessed a culture that resisted change and challenges. Hutton, who joined the board after Rafiq's departure, also offered a sincere apology to the 30-year-old, acknowledging that the club should have taken the allegations of racism more seriously at the time. "I regret that we were unsuccessful in convincing the executive members of the board to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation and demonstrate concern and regret." The England cricket board (ECB) has suspended Yorkshire EB from hosting international or major matches, but Hutton mentioned that the ECB was hesitant to take action when approached. "I want to clarify that as soon as I learned of Azeem Rafiq's accusations, I immediately contacted the ECB to request their assistance and involvement in conducting a thorough investigation," Hutton stated. "I was disappointed when they refused to assist, as I believed it was an important issue for the sport as a whole. It is well-documented that I have consistently voiced my frustration at the ECB's reluctance to take action." The CEO of the ECB, Tom Harrison, mentioned that they were requested to participate in a Yorkshire panel of inquiry, but as the regulator, they could not do so. Harrison explained to reporters that being a part of the investigation would conflict with their role as regulators. He disagreed with Hutton's suggestion that the ECB had refused to assist in the inquiry. The ECB had announced that it would be monitoring Yorkshire's actions regarding the issue and may impose penalties. Rafiq and top Yorkshire officials have been summoned to testify before a parliamentary Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) panel on Nov 16.