'Unfollow me': Trevor Sinclair posts defiant tweet after backlash over Queen comments
Trevor Sinclair has told people to unfollow him if they don't like what he says after being suspended from talkSPORT following a controversial tweet about mourning the Queen's death.
The former England player deleted - and then reinstated - his Twitter account after asking why "black and brown" people should mourn following the Queen's death last week at the age of 96.
Around an hour after her death was made public, the former England international and talkSPORT pundit tweeted: "Racism was outlawed in England in the 60’s & its been allowed to thrive so why should black & brown mourn!!"
Sinclair was met with a flood of criticism. A spokesperson for talkSPORT confirmed it was investigating the tweet and that Sinclair would not appear on their show while it was underway.
The former footballer then deleted his account, before reinstating it and apologising for the "il-timed" message.
But in a defiant message on Wednesday, he tweeted: "This is MY account. Not ours. If you don't like my posts, you can unfollow me.
"I have my own beliefs & principles based on MY heritage & life experiences, which I will 100% maintain, even in the face of adversity. Thanks for all the support I've received."
Twitter users took to the platform to condemn the former QPR and West Ham player who won 12 caps for England between 2001—2003.
Sinclair was previously fired by the BBC in 2018 after being convicted of drink driving and racially abusing a police officer.
Others referred to a previous tweet of his from two years ago, in which he called the Queen "genuine".
On 5 April, 2020, he wrote: “Our Queen looked so fragile when addressing the nation earlier but was so genuine with humility, her majesty still inspired #UnitedKingdom.”
Also among those to criticise him was his former teammate Brett Ormerod, who said: “Wow, no words trev, you clearly have a short memory.
“The queen has been a beacon of hope for everything and everyone, very bad timing.
“I really don’t agree with you on this and you’re the one with the racism conviction, not her. You’re so wrong on this.”
His fellow pundit Simon Jordan - who often works on the same show - also condemned the comments.
“I’m really not sure that is an appropriate thought, let alone tweet,” he wrote.
“The country has lost a very significant person and respect and value should be the overriding sentiments not division!”
