Kyle Lafferty has apologised for using a sectarian slur after the former Rangers and current Kilmarnock striker was slapped with a 10-game ban.
The 35-year-old was dismissed from international duty by Northern Ireland last month and Killie launched their own investigation into the matter after a clip of him using a sectarian comment was posted online. He will miss matches with Ross County, St Johnstone, Livingston, Dundee Utd, Hibernian, Hearts, Motherwell, Aberdeen, St Mirren and Celtic before returning for a Premier Sports Cup semi-final clash against the latter.
Formerly of Rangers and Hearts, Lafferty is keen to help others avoid making the same mistakes he now regrets by working with leading anti-sectarian charity, Nil By Mouth: "I want to deeply apologise to the club, supporters and my family for the distress caused over the past month. I totally acknowledge that my reaction to the incident was completely out of order. There is no excuse, it’s something that I immediately regretted.
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"I have been embarrassed about it ever since. I absolutely accept that I should not have responded to provocation in that manner.
“I placed myself in a position that has been very difficult to deal with, so I’m now determined to work with Nil By Mouth.
"This is to ensure that others, particularly the youngsters at the club, learn from my mistake and avoid putting themselves in any type of similar situation in the future.”
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