Gough’s representatives deny his role in Yorkshire sackings

Wayne Morton expressed his dismay at Gough after receiving a public apology from Yorkshire as part of an out-of-court damages settlement

Darren Gough’s representatives insist Yorkshire’s managing director of cricket could not have come to the aid of those sacked after he was appointed at the height of the racism crisis.
In an interview, Wayne Morton, one of 14 dismissed for speaking out against Azeem Rafiq’s claims in a private letter, said the former England bowler had been “despicable” in his role.
However, Clifford Bloxham, Gough’s agent, hit back at Morton’s claims. “Darren was not working for YCC at the time the 20 staff were dismissed,” Bloxham told Telegraph Sport. “I know this for a fact as I was party to the communications. Anybody claiming otherwise is factually wrong.”
Morton expressed his dismay at Gough after receiving a public apology from Yorkshire as part of an out-of-court damages settlement. The head of sports science and medicine had been fired by the club’s former chair, Lord Kamlesh Patel, over the letter, leaked to Telegraph Sport, accusing Rafiq of being on “a one-man mission to bring down the club”.
However, in an interview with the Yorkshire Post, Morton says Gough should also take some blame, having returned to the club as director of cricket at the peak of the furore in December 2021.
Morton did not state that Gough had any involvement in the sackings but he called him “despicable” for taking on the senior role while “his friends and former colleagues suffered”. Previously the pair had been close, with Morton saying he was once like a “second dad” to Gough.
Morton, 62, has written separately in an open post on Facebook that he had been the victim of “horrendous, scurrilous untruths”. He also thanked Colin Graves, the returning chair whose takeover of Yorkshire was ratified last month, for overseeing the end of the legal stand-off.
The case of Morton’s company, Pavilion Physiotherapy Clinic Limited, was settled by Yorkshire for an undisclosed fee, ahead of a scheduled High Court hearing on March 8.  “The club can confirm that it has agreed a settlement agreement in respect of the ongoing civil claim brought against the club by Pavilion Physiotherapy Clinic Limited (’Pavilion’),” Yorkshire said in a statement after the latest in a series of payouts believed to be worth a total of £3.5m. “Pavilion has received a sum in damages and its legal costs. The amount is confidential between the parties and will not be disclosed.
“The club apologises to Pavilion, Mr Morton and any other parties that may have suffered distress since and as a result of the termination of the contract with Pavilion by the club. The club acknowledges that Mr Wayne Morton of Pavilion worked with the club for approximately 38 years. The club thanks Mr Morton for his service to the club and wishes him and Pavilion well for the future.”
Telegraph Sport reported in November the parties had struck a deal due to be announced in a statement likely to include an apology from Yorkshire. But the county threatened to renege on that agreement and it is only since the return to the board of chairman Graves last week that a “consent order” was issued by the High Court, heralding the end of Yorkshire’s legal battle with Morton.
Patel resigned a year ago, paving the way for Yorkshire chief executive Stephen Vaughan to launch peace talks with Morton, who has been fighting to clear his name since his removal more than two years ago.Yorkshire were also approached for comment on Sunday.