Kevin Thomas (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Kevin Thomas is a Scottish
former professional association football player.
Thomas was sacked by St. Johnstone in January 2001 for gross misconduct
after allegedly taking cocaine
at the club's Christmas party.
. He failed to build on an exciting early breakthrough to the Hearts first team. He had initially been seen as the new John Robertson as one of the most exciting young strikers to break through for many years. He represented Scotland at Under 21 level on many occasions. His early promise was cut short by an horrific injury which kept him out for the best part of two years - an injury which he never fully recovered from. Eventually, he was loaned to in 1998 and then sold to later that year. Thomas found some form at Morton, scoring 12 goals in 25 league games. Sandy Clark
, Thomas' former manager at Hearts, signed Thomas for in August 1999 for a fee of £150,000. In July 2000, The Scotsman
newspaper commented that Thomas had been "disappointing" to date as a Saints player.
were sacked by the club after it was alleged that they were found using cocaine
at the club's Christmas
party. Earlier that season, Thomas had acted as St. Johnstone's representative at an event promoting the Scotland Against Drugs organisation.
The Scottish Premier League
attempted to overturn the sacking, as they found the club's actions to be excessive. The league's decision was overruled by the governing body of Scottish football, the SFA
. Thomas and O'Boyle attempted to overturn the SFA's decision by appealing to the Court of Session
in Edinburgh. Thomas' lawyer accused St. Johnstone's chairman Geoff Brown of "double standards" after the club decided not to sack Marc McCulloch
, who was convicted on a drink driving charge. Brown denied the charge of hypocrisy, arguing that the club's actions were different because McCulloch had shown remorse.
Thomas then tried to appeal to an Employment Tribunal, but they found that the dismissal was fair because the SPL had heard an appeal. In September 2002, Thomas won an appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal
, which held that the original dismissal was unfair as the club had not followed set procedures. Thomas then sought £75,000 in compensation for loss of earnings due to the termination of his contract. Initially he won £90,000 in compensation, but this was reduced to just over £3,500 on appeal.
injury in October 2000, which meant that he had to undergo an operation to repair the ligament. He was expected to be unavailable for the rest of the 2000–01 season, even before the drugs incident happened. After recovering from his knee injury, Thomas signed short term deals with lower league clubs and during the 2001–02 season. Despite this, his career never fully recovered from the incident that led to his dismissal by St. Johnstone. After leaving Berwick, he played for in the East of Scotland Football League
and worked for an hotel booking agency run by his mother.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
former professional association football player.
Thomas was sacked by St. Johnstone in January 2001 for gross misconduct
Gross Misconduct
Gross Misconduct is the second album from crossover thrash metal band, M.O.D.. It was released in 1989 on Megaforce Records and Noise International and follows 1988's Surfin' M.O.D. It was three years until the band released another record, with Rhythm of Fear in 1992.-Overview:Lyrically, Milano...
after allegedly taking cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
at the club's Christmas party.
Early career
Thomas began his career with , and represented the Scotland national under-21 football teamScotland national under-21 football team
The Scotland national under-21 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 21 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team....
. He failed to build on an exciting early breakthrough to the Hearts first team. He had initially been seen as the new John Robertson as one of the most exciting young strikers to break through for many years. He represented Scotland at Under 21 level on many occasions. His early promise was cut short by an horrific injury which kept him out for the best part of two years - an injury which he never fully recovered from. Eventually, he was loaned to in 1998 and then sold to later that year. Thomas found some form at Morton, scoring 12 goals in 25 league games. Sandy Clark
Sandy Clark
Alexander "Sandy" Clark is a former professional football player and currently a pundit for BBC Scotland. He was a centre forward....
, Thomas' former manager at Hearts, signed Thomas for in August 1999 for a fee of £150,000. In July 2000, The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
newspaper commented that Thomas had been "disappointing" to date as a Saints player.
Dimissal by St. Johnstone
On 5 January 2001, Thomas and St. Johnstone teammate George O'BoyleGeorge O'Boyle
George O'Boyle is a Northern Irish former professional footballer.O'Boyle, a striker, began his career with Linfield. He left Northern Ireland in 1988 to join French club Bordeaux. The following year, he joined Dunfermline Athletic for £250,000. In 1994, he was signed by St. Johnstone manager Paul...
were sacked by the club after it was alleged that they were found using cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
at the club's Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
party. Earlier that season, Thomas had acted as St. Johnstone's representative at an event promoting the Scotland Against Drugs organisation.
The Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
attempted to overturn the sacking, as they found the club's actions to be excessive. The league's decision was overruled by the governing body of Scottish football, the SFA
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
. Thomas and O'Boyle attempted to overturn the SFA's decision by appealing to the Court of Session
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
in Edinburgh. Thomas' lawyer accused St. Johnstone's chairman Geoff Brown of "double standards" after the club decided not to sack Marc McCulloch
Marc McCulloch
Marc "12inch" McCulloch , is a Scottish footballer who is currently playing for Stirling Albion.-Career:...
, who was convicted on a drink driving charge. Brown denied the charge of hypocrisy, arguing that the club's actions were different because McCulloch had shown remorse.
Thomas then tried to appeal to an Employment Tribunal, but they found that the dismissal was fair because the SPL had heard an appeal. In September 2002, Thomas won an appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal
Employment Appeal Tribunal
The Employment Appeal Tribunal is a tribunal non-departmental public body in England and Wales and Scotland, and is a superior court of record. Its primary role is to hear appeals from Employment Tribunals in England, Scotland and Wales...
, which held that the original dismissal was unfair as the club had not followed set procedures. Thomas then sought £75,000 in compensation for loss of earnings due to the termination of his contract. Initially he won £90,000 in compensation, but this was reduced to just over £3,500 on appeal.
Later career
Thomas had suffered a cruciate ligamentCruciate ligament
Cruciate ligaments are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee...
injury in October 2000, which meant that he had to undergo an operation to repair the ligament. He was expected to be unavailable for the rest of the 2000–01 season, even before the drugs incident happened. After recovering from his knee injury, Thomas signed short term deals with lower league clubs and during the 2001–02 season. Despite this, his career never fully recovered from the incident that led to his dismissal by St. Johnstone. After leaving Berwick, he played for in the East of Scotland Football League
East of Scotland Football League
The East of Scotland Football League is a league of football teams from south-east Scotland formed in 1923. It is one of Scotland's three "senior" non-leagues which sit below the Scottish Football League , the other two being the Highland Football League and the South of Scotland Football League...
and worked for an hotel booking agency run by his mother.