FOOTBALL : Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has confirmed Marlon King will never play for the club again after he was jailed for 18 months on Thursday.
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has confirmed Marlon King will never play for the club again after he was jailed for 18 months on Thursday.
The striker was found guilty of sexual assault and actual bodily harm over an incident in a London nightclub, which occurred in December while he was on loan at Hull.
King will now be left without a club after a mandatory notice period has expired and Whelan told Sky Sports News: “We have to follow the rules and regulations, which means we will have to give him 14 days notice that his contract will be cancelled.”
Whelan added: “He is absolutely sacked – we will not tolerate football players who get sent to jail for 18 months. As far as we are concerned, he is finished with football at Wigan Athletic.”
A statement on Wigan’s official website, www.wiganlatics.co.uk, confirmed King’s departure.
It read: “Following the news that Marlon King has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, Wigan Athletic wishes to confirm that the player’s contract will be terminated with due notice, in accordance with the terms and conditions of his contract and the Premier League rules.
“The incident took place while the player was on-loan at Hull City but ultimately still as a Wigan Athletic player and a representative of the club.
“Although the club was aware of the incident at the time, it was not aware of the severity, and therefore believes that the sentence received is justified by the player’s actions.”
