Leicester City Players Released for Video of Racist Comments at Sex Party

Leicester City Football Club announced they were releasing three players—Tom Hopper, James Pearson and Adam Smith—after an investigation into racist comments made at a sex party in Thailand:

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Leicester City Football Club has notified Tom Hopper, Adam Smith and James Pearson that their contracts with the club have been terminated.
The decision follows the conclusion of an internal investigation and disciplinary proceedings, as a consequence of events that took place during the Club’s end-of-season goodwill tour of Thailand.

Leicester City Football Club is acutely aware of its position, and that of its players, as a representative of the city of Leicester, the Premier League, the Football Association and the Club’s supporters. It is committed to promoting a positive message of community and family values and equality, and to upholding the standards expected of a Club with its history, tradition and aspirations.

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The club began the investigation into the comments on May 31.  

"The board of Leicester City Football Club is deeply concerned about an incident involving three of our young professionals during a recent trip to Thailand. Our players at every level are expected to behave as representatives and ambassadors for our football club, both on official club duty and in their personal lives, so we treat their conduct extremely seriously," the club said in a statement at the time.

Simon Wright of Mirror obtained video allegedly depicting striker Tom Hopper, goalkeeper Adam Smith and defender James Pearson taunting women as they engaged in sex acts. They referred to the women as being "minging," a term that means foul-smelling, on multiple occasions and called one woman a "slit eye."

The players were in Thailand as part of the club's relationship with the Tourism Authority of Thailand. They were brought along by manager Nigel Pearson, who is also James Pearson's father. Leicester City and Thailand's tourism board recently announced an extension of their partnership for a third season, and the club has made a number of trips to the country to improve relations.

Club owners Vichai and ­Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha are also Thai.

The players involved have apologised for the incident, added the club statement:

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Tom Hopper, James Pearson and Adam Smith would like to convey their sincere apologies for their behaviour – to the women involved in the incident, to the club and its owners, to the club’s fans and to their families. 

A formal process of investigation will be undertaken with the players in conjunction with their representatives and, as such, no further comment can be made at this stage.

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Leicester City finished the 2014-15 Premier League season 14th in the table, avoiding relegation to the Championship. None of the players depicted in the video made an appearance on the first team this season.

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