Ex-Ireland skipper Rory Best has said he felt 'used' in the Belfast rape trial involving former Ulster and Ireland teammates Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding - which saw both men acquitted.
Best told Newstalk's Off The Ball of his regret over his appearance at the 2018 trial, saying that he felt like he 'became a pawn'.
The 37-year-old said: “I’ll be the first to admit that I was unbelievably naive to think that wasn’t the way that it would be brought across. But I can assure you that it was never my intention.
“I look back now in hindsight and I didn’t think of it at the time. Ultimately, I’m a trusting person and I look back now and I do think that I was used.
“I didn’t ever think that it would be that case but there’s no doubt, as you said yourself, that it suited the [defence] to have me there.
“I think that I became a pawn and that is the bit that, looking back in hindsight, it was bad advice to be there."
Best received criticism online at the time of the trial, prompting the #NotMyCaptain hashtag to be shared on social media.
Writing in his autobiography Ordinary Joe, ex-Ireland boss Joe Schmidt claimed Best considered relinquishing the Ireland captaincy and walking away from rugby.
Best added that he felt 'very sorry' about attending the trial.
He continued: “I don’t know why I thought this would be different. But, look, ultimately I did. That is one of the things I’m very sorry for.
“It was never, never my intention to cause any more distress in what was a very, very difficult day for that poor girl anyway.”
The recently retired rugby star elaborated on his regret over the trial appearance, saying: “I know now in hindsight that was wrong. I shouldn’t have been there."
And questioned on whether he sought legal advice before the incident, Best replied: “I didn’t and that was more mistakes because I think when you’re a reasonably trusting person you kind of think that, ‘Oh look, if they’re saying this then it must be for my benefit.’ It turned out it wasn’t.
“My benefit or detriment was irrelevant to it but it turned it into a circus and it put a lot more pressure onto something that was very sensitive.
“Like I’ve said before, that is definitely the thing that I regret the most and to turn up the magnifying glass on it is just something that.
"I suppose you say you live and learn but this was a big thing you had to live and learn from."
