THE owner of York City Knights has apologised for making an offensive comment on social media.
John Guildford caused controversy when he called two Knights fans “window lickers” - a derogatory comment aimed at people with learning difficulties.
Mr Guildford was attacking fans who have accused him of causing the rugby club to become homeless due to a failure to hold amicable negotiations with City of York Council over the community stadium.
Mencap has criticised the comments with spokesperson Lorraine Bellamy, who has a learning disability, describing it as unacceptable.
She said: “Hate crime and bullying are a daily reality for many disabled people and the use of language like this only makes it worse. It is good that he apologised. I hope he never says something like this again.
However, Mr Guildford said in a statement that he had been subject to severe provocation and in a “moment of madness” decided to respond. He has apologised and said he regrets any distress caused.
Mr Guildford said his comments are being investigated by the RFL - the governing body of rugby league.
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