Premier League player banned over Twitter posts from 2012

Posted September 23, 2016 7:00 am

The Associated Press

LONDON (AP) - A Premier League player has been banned for four matches by England's football authorities for discriminatory comments he previously made on social media.

The English Football Association said six postings made by Burnley striker Andre Gray on his Twitter account between Jan. 9 and March 11, 2012 brought the game into disrepute. Some of the tweets appeared to be slurs against gays.

Gray had admitted to three of the breaches, but denied that the remaining three went against FA rules. He was fined 25,000 pounds ($32,000) and ordered to attend an FA education course.

The discriminatory comments came to light when they were retweeted by other people after he scored his first Premier League goal for Burnley in the team's 2-0 win over Liverpool on Aug. 20.

Gray released a public apology after the match.

He was the top scorer in the second-tier League Championship last season with 23 goals, helping Burnley return to the Premier League the season after relegation.

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