Nottinghamshire’s Joe Clarke feels “embarrassment and shame” over his past involvement in a vulgar WhatsApp group with convicted rapist Alex Hepburn.
Clarke, 25, used the messaging app to discuss sexual conquests with former Worcestershire team-mates Hepburn and Tom Kohler-Cadmore back in 2017.
Hepburn was jailed for five years in 2019 after raping a woman who had earlier engaged in consensual sex with Clarke.
Clarke was not accused of any wrongdoing on that night but was charged by the England and Wales Cricket Board for bringing the game into disrepute and made unavailable for England selection.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Clarke said of his past actions: “I have done a lot of reflecting. It is embarrassment and shame that I was involved in what was a terrible thing.
“It upsets me seeing it now so I completely understand why people get upset looking at it. It was completely wrong. It does not reflect the person I am now.
“It is not something I have forgotten about at all. I’m happy I have the chance now to say how sorry I am for the involvement in all of it.”
