The Sunday Independent has published a retraction for sports pundit and columnist Joe Brolly in today's paper.
The retraction is in relation to an article by fellow Sunday Independent writer Tommy Conlon, which was published in last weekend's edition of the paper.
"We accept without reservation that the contents of the piece were defamatory and falsely portrayed Mr Brolly in a way that is entirely inconsistent with his political and religious impartiality and his condemnation of all forms of violence."
"The piece should never have been published and at no stage represented the views of this paper. In withdrawing the article we offer Joe an unreserved apology as does the author Mr Conlon. It is a matter of public record that Joe is non-sectarian and does not support any political party. He utterly upholds the sanctity of human life and has always opposed the use of violence."
The statement also references Brolly's ongoing work with organ donation and cystic fibrosis, adding: "At Joe's request, we have agreed to pay a substantial donation to Cystic Fibrosis Ireland."
