Drogheda player issues public apology following his tweet regarding Belfast trial

The club has stated that an internal investigation is still ongoing.

Last week, Drogheda United have launched an investigation into one of their players following a tweet that was sent on Wednesday regarding the verdict of the Belfast trial. The club have said that they are horrified by the comments made in the tweet and they will be launching an investigation into the matter. They have promised that it will be dealt with internally by the club. https://twitter.com/PhilfiSigurdson/status/978991201754873856 On Monday, the player, Luke Rossiter, released a public statement, via the Drogheda United website, which reads as follows:

May I start by saying how deeply sorry I am for the comment I made on social media. The truth is I don’t really know why I did it as I have no reasoning behind it. It was a stupid and immature thing to do. And in doing so, I have hurt and let my family, club, manager, team-mates and the Drogheda fans down and I’m sure many more. I have only been at Drogheda United a short time and for them and Tim Clancy to take a chance on me I can only say I am truly sorry. It is clear I still have some growing up to do in relation to how I conduct myself off the pitch as well as on it. If the club and fans can forgive me I would like to start that growing by donating any money that I receive from Drogheda United for the remainder of the season to the Rape Crisis North East based in Dundalk which has an outreach programme in Drogheda. I would also like to offer my time to promote awareness of such sensitive issues and I am also keen to learn how such issues can impact and affect people’s lives. Once again I’m sorry for any hurt I have caused.

https://twitter.com/deckie/status/979071737546596352 The club has added to the statement, claiming that they fully acknowledge Rossiter's whole-hearted apology, but that an internal investigation was still ongoing. "Drogheda United are also carrying out a review of club policy and plan to educate all players and staff in relation to the impact their opinions and actions can have on others. https://twitter.com/DroghedaUnited/status/979037359969890306 "Luke Rossiter has been informed that he will not be considered for selection until such time that the investigation is completed and reviewed."