A South Otago rugby president has been banned from his own club for the rest of the season for an expletive-laced outburst on the sidelines.
Crescent Rugby Football Club president Glen Ferguson admits he used nasty language during a game at the Kaitangata Domain a fortnight ago, but denies it was racist.
He became incensed by a high tackle he considered dangerous.
"One of the Owaka players came in late with a swinging arm and hit him in the head," Mr Ferguson said.
"If he had connected it properly, he would have got knocked out, I reckon.
"I was in a group of four or five of us and, excuse my language, but I said ‘You dirty, mongrel, inbred c...’.
"As soon as I said it, I realised I’d mucked up.
"It’s just like a bit of toothpaste, isn’t it? Once it’s out, you can’t put it back."
Mr Ferguson said he apologised for offending but disputed what was written in a complaint, which claimed he said ‘Filthy, f...... Samoan inbred".
"Well, I didn’t say anything of the sort about any race at all."
Acting club president Alan Anderson and secretary Nikita Falconer declined to comment when contacted.
Mr Ferguson has been the club president for the past nine years and on the committee for 13 years. He started playing for Crescent as a 5-year-old, 55 years ago.
He loves the club, but he believes he has been treated poorly.
His wife, Debbie Ferguson, a life member of the club, had been subject to online abuse since the committee made the decision to ban him, he claimed.
He plans to resign at the Crescent annual meeting later this year.
"If that’s the way they’re going to treat me, well, I just don’t want nothing more to do with the place.
"Now the wife, she can’t even go on to the rugby club Facebook page or anything.
"Some of the members are just treating us — like it’s not very nice, eh."
