‘I’m not a bully and I’m no racist’
CLOUD: Peter Beardsley PETER BEARDSLEY has broken his silence in an emotional denial of the allegations which ended his Toon coaching career.
The England and Magpies legend left his position as Newcastle
Under-23s academy boss
11 days ago under a cloud after a probe into his alleged treatment of young players.
Newcastle failed to say why Beardsley had left or whether he was guilty or cleared of the accusations.
That prompted the FA to launch its own probe last Monday, led by ex-copper Jenni Kennedy, their head of integrity.
Several young players made allegations against Beardsley but he had previously refused to comment directly, saying only that he wanted a new challenge.
Beardsley broke his
14-month silence and said: “I’m not a bully and I’m not a racist.
“Everybody in the city of Newcastle has been amazing, for 15 months they’ve been amazing.
“I know what I am and everybody who knows me, my family, my friends, knows what I am.
“I’m comfortable with what I am.
“It is what it is, I’m just ready to move on.”
Beardsley now has to clear his name with the FA to continue working in the game. Evidence from Newcastle’s probe will be handed over.
The St James’ Park favourite, 58, spoke for 90 minutes at Gateshead’s Hilton Hotel next to the Tyne Bridge at An Evening with Peter Beardsley event attended by around 170 fans and hosted by Newcastle Legends.
Beardo regaled the crowd with amusing stories of his illustrious career which included two World Cups, spells at Liverpool, Everton and two periods as a Toon star.
His stories were well received and he was given huge support from the audience remembering his
326 appearances and 119 goals for Newcastle – their sixth all-time leading scorer.
Beardsley singled out John Barnes as the best player he’d played with.
He hopes to “find a new challenge”, and has a series of events planned, including sharing a stage with Kevin Keegan.
And he told fans: “Thank you for coming. I really mean that. Most of you in this room will realise that I’m not a racist.”