IRISH DEFENDER Joe Gorman has apologised for a 2014 tweet that has surfaced in recent days.
The 27-year-old Dubliner, who counts Galway United, Longford and Crewe Alexandra among his former clubs, was embroiled in a controversy earlier this week.
Irish league side Portadown last week said they had signed Gorman, only for the club to confirm they had withdrawn the contract offer on Tuesday after a fan backlash.
The tweet in question was posted when Gorman was a teenager playing for the youth team at Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
He was suspended by the Scottish club at the time after a response to a Ross Kemp programme based in Belfast.
“Ross kemp in Belfast talking about the troubles. Wouldn’t you just love to open up on all them orange men,” he wrote at the time.
And the tweet made headlines again this week after Portadown felt compelled to take action in response to supporter unrest.
— Joe Gorman (@JoeGorman94) January 13, 2022
Gorman this evening issued a statement apologising for his remarks.
“I would like to address an issue from my past. In 2014, at the age of 19, I posted a tweet that I sincerely regret.
“It was at a time in my life where my worldview was particularly narrow and I did not appreciate the gravity of my comment.
“I had not intended for it to be taken seriously but I now completely understand why many people did so and were naturally very upset by it.
“It was borne out of a combination of teenage bravado and a lack of understanding.
“I say this not as an excuse but merely by way of explanation.
“It was a grave error of judgment on my part and one I wish I could take back. I have grown up and appreciated that we all have different outlooks on life which must be respected.
“I apologise unreservedly for my tweet and I would like to continue to educate younger people as I did back in 2014 when I visited schools to speak of bigotry and the correct use of social media so that others can learn from my mistake.”
