Aberdeen players out themselves and admit ‘a huge error of judgment’

Eight admit they made ‘a huge error of judgment’

Eight Aberdeen players went out on the town after the defeat by Rangers.

Aberdeen’s players have apologised for breaking lockdown rules.

The statement was released by the club on behalf of Jonny Hayes, Michael Devlin, Scott McKenna, Matty Kennedy, Sam Cosgrove, Dylan McGeouch, Craig Bryson and Bruce Anderson.

The eight went to a pub last Saturday night after the defeat by Rangers.

Aberdeen's Scottish Premiership match against St Johnstone was postponed at the request of the Scottish Government after two Dons players tested positive for Covid-19 and a further six were ordered to self-isolate.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon declared herself "pretty furious" with the actions of the eight players who have today issued the following statement:

“First and foremost we would like to apologise to every AFC fan, the manager, everyone at the Club, the football authorities, the First Minister, all healthcare workers along with everyone else that has worked tirelessly around the clock to get the country, and in particular football, back up and running again.

“We, as a small group of players, made a huge error of judgment last weekend by thinking it was ok to visit a city centre venue together.

“None of us could have foreseen the escalation of Covid-19 cases in the Grampian area, nor did we deliberately attempt to flaunt or disobey Government guidelines which we all must adhere to, or indeed the clear guidelines set out by the club.

“This was by no means a team night out as has been portrayed and while we attempted to comply with Government social distancing guidelines, we now recognise that our group of 8 exceeded the number of households permitted to meet up. This was a genuine error on our part as professional football players, and in doing so, we have let our manager down.

“As players we appreciate our Club has gone above and beyond to put protocols in place to protect us and it was never our intention to put that those jeopardy, or to put our teammates or football staff at risk.

“As a player group, we once again apologise unreservedly to the fans, the manager, the Board and all the staff at the Club.”

Jonny, Michael, Scott, Matty, Sam, Dylan, Craig, Bruce.

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