SUNDERLAND CHIEF QUITS IN JOHNSON SCANDAL
SUNDERLAND chief executive Margaret Byrne quit yesterday in the wake of Adam Johnson’s convictions for sex offences with a 15- year- old girl. She resigned after admitting a serious error of judgment in allowing the 28- year- old to play on after a two- week suspension, right up
until four days before his trial. Byrne has been under pressure since Johnson, left, admitted two charges, was found guilty of a third and not guilty of a fourth, and within hours of returning from a short holiday she announced she was stepping down.
During the former England star’s trial it emerged Byrne had access to transcripts of police interviews in which Johnson admitting kissing and grooming the girl and copies of more than 800 explicit text messages.
Byrne insists she believed Johnson was going to plead not guilty to all four charges and says it was her decision alone to recommend he carry on playing.
She said: “I recognise that as CEO, my involvement with Mr Johnson and the decision to allow him to continue to represent Sunderland was a serious mistake.
“I accept that Mr Johnson should not have been permitted to play again, irrespective of what he was going to plead. It was a serious error of judgment
and I accept full responsibility for this.”
Byrne went on to explain that while documents were handed to her by Johnson’s father she did not read them closely.
“The club’s board was made aware of the broad nature of the allegations, which were a matter of public knowledge but not of the detail that I was personally privy to,” she said.
“Mr Johnson’s father sent me some documents that he asked me to forward them to Mr Pownall [ Johnson’s QC]. I did not examine the contents in any detail.
“I attended part of the introductory meeting at which Mr Pownall met with Mr Johnson. After this meeting, Mr Pownall sent me a note to forward to Mr Johnson which recorded, amongst other things, that Mr Johnson had kissed the girl and communicated with her.
“I did not share this information with anybody including the board of Sunderland.
“In the following days, Mr Johnson confi rmed to me that he was intending to defend each charge and was confi dent of a