Copyright GIVEMESPORT
Chelsea Women’s captain Millie Bright has been slammed for her reaction to Mary Earps’ comments about Hannah Hampton. Like Earps, Bright withdrew from Euro 2025 selection - but for reasons of fitness and fatigue, rather than competition for places like the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper. In her autobiography, Earps described Sarina Wiegman’s handling of the Lionesses’ goalkeeper situation as “bull****" and revealed “ongoing difficulties” with rival Hampton, whom she claimed was being rewarded for “bad behaviour.” Unwilling to let go of the fact that Chelsea’s No.1 had usurped her during a successful title-retaining campaign, Earps continued to reference England’s latest hero - and winner of the first-ever women's Yashin trophy at the Ballon d'Or ceremeony - as a “competitor” several times throughout the book. The backlash to her petulant, crying-wolf comments has been widespread, with figures such as England’s record goalscorer Ellen White and several respected journalists criticising her stance. While Earps may still claim her words have been twisted, no one altered what she herself chose to include in her book. However, one teammate who has refused to speak up about the issues that have stemmed from that - and is now receiving criticism for that silence - is Hampton’s club captain, Bright. Millie Bright Slammed For Her Reaction To Earps-Hampton Drama Bright and ex-England forward Rachel Daly spoke on 'The Rest Is Football: Daly Brightness podcast' about how they were refusing to comment or give their opinion on the saga. But it's the former, as Hampton's club skipper at Chelsea, who has been singled out for particular criticism by angry supporters for choosing not to stick up for her younger teammate, as she dismissed Earps' comments by saying (watch the full segment below): "We've seen your tweets, we know you want us to have a gossip, we've seen them all." She then continued to nod along in agreement with Daly, who doubled down on her opinion that the podcast was more about 'spreading positivity'. Perhaps the 32-year-old defender could have got away with making light of the situation if the drama had been two-sided - if Hampton had also been throwing shade at Earps - or if Earps’ comments had actually been harmless gossip, rather than, as most see it, throwing her former teammate under the bus while she's still in the formative years of her career. But with neither of those being the case, a lot of backlash has come the way of the Chelsea captain, who has seen and won the lot, and should therefore understand her duty of care a little more. As one X user wrote: "Millie Bright is Chelsea captain, her teammate's getting slaughtered, and she decides to stay out of it because of 'gossip'. Come on, Millie," a second remarked: "They’re not obliged to speak, but for a podcast predicated on mental health/positivity to brand a former teammate’s public undermining of your current teammate’s achievements/growth on and off the pitch as “gossip” feels very glib. There was space to provide empathy and nuance." Another critic continued: "Being a captain gives you a lot of responsibilities on and off the pitch. Showing support to your teammate in a case like this, I think, falls into the category. You can offer support whilst still being friends with the other party involved. It’s not 'gossip', bad look for Millie." Elsewhere, a fourth concluded: "This is why it's not good for players that are still playing to be recording a podcast. How can you, as a club captain, dismiss the whole situation as mere gossip? The worst captain in the club's history and I am not even stuttering."
