Trevor Sinclair has told people to 'unfollow him' on Twitter if they don't like reading what he has to say.
The 49-year-old ex-footballer has been embroiled in controversy over the past week after posting what he described as an "ill-timed" tweet questioning why "black and brown" people were mourning Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral aged 96 last Thursday.
Sinclair received a wave of backlash for his remarks and was subsequently suspended by talkSPORT, who he works for as a pundit. In the now-deleted tweet, the former England international wrote: "Racism was outlawed in England in the 60’s & its been allowed to thrive so why should black & brown mourn!! #queen."
Sinclair soon apologised for his comments but has continued posting on his Twitter account, which briefly disappeared amid the controversy. The ex- Blackpool, QPR, West Ham and Manchester City winger has now come out fighting on the social media platform, once again restricting who could reply to him - just like in his previous tweets since posting about the Queen.
"This is MY account. Not ours. If you don't like my posts, you can unfollow me," Sinclair declared on Wednesday. "I have my own beliefs & principles based on MY heritage & life experiences, which I will 100% maintain, even in the face of adversity. Thanks for all the support I've received."
One of Sinclair's colleagues at talkSPORT, Simon Jordan, was among those who strongly condemned his tweet, garnering more than 47,000 likes for his response. "Trev, I'm really not sure that is an appropriate thought, let alone tweet," the former Crystal Palace owner replied. "The country has lost a very significant person and respect and value should be the over riding sentiments not division!"
Less than 24 hours after deleting his remarks, Sinclair went on to apologise by writing: "My tweet yesterday was ill timed at a time when the royal family, and many around the world were grieving for the Queen. I apologise for any offence caused to those mourning The Queen."
His apology didn't wash with everyone, though, including British Olympic medalist Kelly Sotherton, who described Sinclair's follow-up tweet as "forced" and "fake". The Arsenal -supporting now-retired athlete wrote: "A forced fake apology doesn't cut it... apologising for the backlash or genuinely insulting a mourning family?"
TalkSPORT, who claimed that they'd attempted to contact Sinclair in the wake of the controversy, will keep him off-air until they've concluded their investigation. "Trevor Sinclair will not be on air while we carry out a thorough investigation into the circumstances and timing of his tweet," the radio station said in a statement. "While we respect the right of Trevor Sinclair to express his opinion on his personal twitter account, talkSPORT does not endorse the tweet."
