Ex-England physio Wayne Morton lets rip over Yorkshire CCC racism ordeal

Morton lost his job when Lord Kamlesh Patel, the previous chair, ripped up the club’s contract with Pavilion Physiotherapy Clinic after Rafiq had called for “a total clear-out” of those who signed the letter.

Earlier this week, Yorkshire settled the last of the outstanding claims from those dismissed when they agreed with Morton an out-of-court settlement prior to a High Court hearing scheduled for March 8.

Morton, 62, has kept his counsel for the past 26 months but now that his toxic legal fight with the club is finally at an end, he has let rip at his treatment and is promising to reveal more.

Writing on Facebook, Morton said that he “refused to be bullied or beaten down financially”, insisted that Yorkshire tried “horrendous, scurrilous untruths to discredit me and embarrass me publicly”, and hit out at “corrupt politicians” and a “feckless ECB”.

“It’s not over until ALL the truth is out,” said Morton.

“I will expose the lies, the corruption and the sheer criminality of the people who saw myself, my staff and all the employed staff sacked.”

Among the accusations levelled at Morton by the club - and subsequently withdrawn at a pre-trial hearing only last month - were that he had “a sexual relationship with a senior employee at the club which was at odds with his professional position as an independent key medical supplier to the club”, and that he “engaged in unprotected sexual activity and intercourse with a prostitute”.

Morton described the allegations as “baseless” and “wrong”.

Morton’s treatment, along with that of his former colleagues, has been widely condemned in Yorkshire and beyond and can be viewed as the moment when Patel’s own departure perhaps became inevitable.

Patel swept to power promising transparency, inclusivity and a brand new morning but stepped down in March last year after the club was forced to admit that the sackings were “procedurally unfair”, with staff saying that he made no attempt to investigate what happened or to address their concerns.

With legal fees and severance payments resulting from the crisis now some £3m-plus, the club had been brought to the brink of administration.

That prospect has been averted by the return as chair of Colin Graves, who has wasted no time in settling Morton’s case - a fact that Morton appreciates.

“Thankfully, the return of someone with integrity and a genuine love of Yorkshire cricket has seen the end to this monumental waste of money,” said Morton of his long legal fight.

“Sadly, It took over two years and over £400k in legal fees to end this nonsense that should have been sorted within weeks of the ending of my contract and the sacking of the employed staff.”

Morton continued: “I refused to be bullied or beaten down financially. They tried horrendous, scurrilous untruths to discredit me and embarrass me publicly.

“And they delayed every legal deadline they could in the hope that I would be unable to continue funding my case.

“Well, here I am, two second mortgages and a ridiculous loan later. You were all a disgrace.”

Morton further condemned “the near financial ruination of a once great club”, claimed that the wages and expenses of current staff were in some cases “staggering”, and said that the lives of “innocent people” had been destroyed.

Turning his focus to the wider picture of the game’s worst crisis, Morton criticised “corrupt” politicians, an ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) which “just needed to be seen to be doing the ‘right’ thing and chose to do the absolute wrong thing”, as well as journalists who “never did due diligence on anything they wrote about us”.

Morton was particularly incensed that one journalist “called me a cancer that you don’t negotiate with”, and urged people to disbelieve what he described as “portrayed opinion and narrative” and instead “demand the facts and the truth”.

Morton thanked those who have stuck with him through thick and thin - “the people who knew the truth” as well as “journalists who did write the truth and became targets for hate”.

“It’s been a very tough few years,” added Morton, “but now is the time to get behind Yorkshire cricket club”.

He predicted that the institution will now “rise again”.