Sunderland defender Titus Bramble has been fined by the club for “bringing the game into disrepute” after a night out which ended in the 3-year-old being arrested for sexual assault and possession of a class A drug the day after a defeat.
Bramble was suspended by Sunderland pending an internal investigation and hasn’t played for the club since the 2-1 defeat against Norwich in September, and while the drugs charge has since been dropped, a spokesperson for the club confirmed that the former Wigan defender had been punished further.
“Titus Bramble has been fined and given the maximum sanction permitted for bringing the club’s name into disrepute.” He said.
“Sunderland AFC is unable to comment further at present.”
Lawyers acting for Bramble have vigorously denied the allegations, with the defender due to appear before Teesside magistrates on Thursday, charged with two counts of sexual assault and one charge of urinating in a public place.
Black Cats boss Steve Bruce has been publicly critical of Bramble after the incident, saying that no footballer “should be in a nightclub” before or after a game.
“I don’t think you should be in a nightclub on a Tuesday night. I don’t think any footballer should be in a nightclub on a Monday night, Tuesday night or Wednesday night – not with a game on a Saturday, especially after the way you have just been beaten on the Monday night.” He commented.
“In my day, the vast majority of people I played with would have put their head down, gone into the bunker and said, ‘Well, I am going to go and train hard and put it right on Saturday’.
Bramble’s off-the-field trouble is the latest in a long line of problems for Bruce and Sunderland, who have recorded only one win in their last six Premier League games, a run of form that has left them just one point clear of the relegation zone
