Wrexham star James McClean admits he REGRETS posting his controversial balaclava picture during... (original) (raw)

James McClean has admitted that he regrets posting a controversial picture of himself 'jokingly' home schooling his children in a balaclava.

The offensive image, which was accompanied by a caption that read 'today's school lesson – history' and laughing emojis, was interpreted as a reference to the IRA.

The Wrexham midfielder was heavily criticised for the post before he deleted it from his account. McClean was fined two weeks' wages by his then club Stoke City in March 2020 for the post before it was removed.

In an interview with Sky Sports, McClean has spoken out on his beliefs and wanting respect, while also talking about the abuse he's received for over decade and the situation around that lockdown snap.

When asked if it's tiring about the constant abuse he receives, McClean said: 'It can be. it's exhausting when you have to keep explaining yourself over and over and over like that. That's the tiring part.

Wrexham midfielder James McClean has admitted that he regrets posting a controversial picture of himself 'jokingly' home schooling his children in a balaclava

'I'm no angel and, look, I've made mistakes like the lockdown Balaclava picture. I regret that. I regret it in one sense because it's given people now an opportunity to say "well he brings it on himself." Every time my name gets brought up, they just attach that picture to it.

'That was just bad judgement on my part. It was supposed to be a joke and it wasn't a joke. And it turned out just to be an absolute disaster judgement call. It's given people an opportunity to justify the abuse.

'But that picture happened in lockdown which is 2020, I've been getting abuse since 2012. You have eight years of abuse, where you get it from all angles. You mess up once and it's labelled against you and it's like the hate in those eight years, doesn't matter anymore. It was like 'you done this, you bring it on yourself.'

'I made the stupid call to put it on social media and it annoys me because people actually believe out there that I sat and spoke to my children about the history. Come on. It was just a picture. I grew up straight after the conflict. So it was ingrained in me, I'd seen it first hand.

'My kids know nothing about the past and what went on. Whereas it was different for me because I grew up straight in the aftermath. So the people who actually think that I sat there and educated my children on it… honestly, come on.'

McClean appeared to be imitating members of the IRA and captioned the snap 'history lesson'

McClean has been involved in controversies in the past having come under fire for turning his back while the national anthem played before a West Brom friendly in 2015. The player has stated this is due to his affinity with Derry and the role of the British Army in the Troubles and Bloody Sunday.

He has also been criticised for refusing to wear a poppy during games played across Remembrance weekend.

He refuses to wear the poppy because the symbol commemorates military personnel who have died in war – and not just soldiers who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars.

Explaining himself previously, he said: 'If the poppy was simply about World War One and Two victims alone, I’d wear it without a problem.

'I would wear it every day of the year if that was the thing but it doesn’t. It stands for all the conflicts that Britain has been involved in. Because of the history where I come from in Derry, I cannot wear something that represents that.'

McClean also revealed recently that he has been diagnosed with autism at the age of 33 - having undergone tests after noticing similar traits in his daughter, who has the condition too.

McClean was diagnosed with autism earlier this year - after noticing similarities with his daughter, who also has the condition

In a statement on Instagram, the Republic of Ireland star said he was going public to help Willow-Ivy cope with the disorder

McClean - now playing for Wigan Athletic - said he had gone on 'a bit of a journey' before receiving a formal diagnosis.

The 13 signs of autism in adults, according to the NHS

Main signs of autism

• Finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling
• Getting very anxious about social situations
• Finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own
• Seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning to
• Finding it hard to say how you feel
• Taking things very literally – for example, you may not understand sarcasm or phrases like 'break a leg'
• Having the same routine every day and getting very anxious if it changes

Other signs of autism

• Not understanding social 'rules', such as not talking over people
• Avoiding eye contact
• Getting too close to other people, or getting very upset if someone touches or gets too close to you
• Noticing small details, patterns, smells or sounds that others do not
• Having a very keen interest in certain subjects or activities
• Liking to plan things carefully before doing them

The winger, who has 103 caps for the Republic of Ireland, has been helping his daughter Willow-Ivy understand her disorder and learning about it alongside her before deciding to get an assessment himself.

Having been officially diagnosed with autism, McClean took to Instagram earlier this year to share the news during autism awareness week, taking the opportunity to discuss how he has helped Willow-Ivy navigate the condition - saying he decided to go public to help her.

'As you all know, my daughter Willow-Ivy is autistic,' he wrote alongside a picture of himself posing with her.

'The last four years have been life-changing in the most amazing way but also very difficult at times as her daddy [has been] watching her overcome so many obstacles in her life and learning how to manage the challenges she faces on a daily basis.

'The more [wife] Erin and I learned about autism the more we began to recognise I was very similar to Willow in more ways than we thought.

'I see so many small traits in her that I see in myself. So I decided to go and get an ASD assessment.

'It’s been a bit of a journey and now having a diagnosis I feel it’s time to share it, for the week that’s in it.

'I have debated for a while going public in sharing this as I’ve done this for Willow-Ivy, to let her know that I understand and that being autistic wont and should never hold her back from reaching her goals and dreams. Daddy’s girl.'

McClean first made a name for himself in the Premier League in 2011 as he joined Sunderalnd - playing 70 times for the Black Cats before joining Wigan in 2013, where he enjoyed 86 outings.

He then joined West Bromwich Albion in 2015 in the most successful spell of his career as he featured 112 times across three seasons in the top flight, before linking up with Stoke City in the Championship.

In 2021 he dropped down to League One by rejoining Wigan and helped them gain promotion to the second tier before joining Wrexham this summer.