Ireland and Ulster rugby player Craig Gilroy has apologised after sending an offensive WhatsApp message to teammate Stuart Olding, which was used as evidence in the Belfast rape trial.
Gilroy has been dropped from this Friday’s match against Edinburgh while the Pro14 club carry out an internal review, which comes a week after Ireland international Paddy Jackson and Olding were found not guilty of raping a female student in June 2016 and Jackson cleared of a charge of sexual assault.
A joint statement from Ulster Rugby and the Irish Rugby Football Union [IRFU] said: “Ulster Rugby and the IRFU confirm that as Craig Gilroy is subject to an internal review, he will not be available for selection this weekend.”
The message from 27-year-old Gilroy was used as evidence in the case involving Jackson and Olding, which also included two other men, Blane McIlroy and Rory Harrison, who were cleared of all charges last week.
It was revealed that Gilroy had sent a message that read: “Any sluts get f*****?”
Olding replied: “Precious secrets.”
After Ulster and the IRFU issued their joint-statement, Gilroy posted a comment on Twitter to apologise for his action. It read: “I would like to apologise unreservedly for any offence caused by the WhatsApp message I sent in June 2016.
“I would just like to clarify it was sent privately, not part of any group chat.
“Regardless, my comment was totally inappropriate and is not an accurate reflection of my beliefs nor Ulster Rugby’s values.
“I take full responsibility for my actions and in future will ensure the language I use in private or public better reflects who I am and what I stand for.
“I am sorry for the hurt my comment has caused. Craig.”
Ulster travel to Edinburgh this weekend before returning to Belfast to prepare for their match against Ospreys at the Kingspan Stadium, with protests planned ahead of the Pro14 game and a rally in support of the woman at the centre of the case scheduled to take place.
The Belfast Feminist Network posted a message online that read: “At our Belfast rally...last Thursday, we announced this was the start of a movement to change how our criminal justice system deals with sexual assault crimes. Following this, as the next step in this movement, we will gather outside the Kingspan Stadium on the 13th April when Ulster Rugby has their next game.
“We are gathering to put pressure on Ulster Rugby not to re-employ the accused in the Belfast rape trial, considering their reprehensible and misogynistic attitudes towards women as indicated in their WhatsApp messages. The misogyny in our society will not go unchallenged.”
The Independent understands that both the IRFU and European Premier Club Rugby [EPCR] feared protests at last Sunday’s Champions Cup quarter-final between Leinster and Saracens at the Aviva Stadium, with people gathering last week in both Dublin and Belfast following the verdicts.
An online petition calling on the IRFU to launch a review into Jackson’s and Olding’s behaviour has gained more than 64,000 signatures, just shy of its 75,000 target, and while both Ulster and the IRFU have announced reviews into their conduct, they have not yet released any further details about whether they will be made available for selection once again. Neither has played for club or country since they were charged in July 2017.
