Stoke's Jones denies smashing team-mate's car after finding pig's head in locker
Two Stoke City players will be subjected to an internal investigation by the club after an end-of-season prank involving a pig’s head backfired horribly.
Furious Potters’ boss Tony Pulis will demand answers from midfielder Glenn Whelan and striker Kenwyne Jones after a week of dressing-room jokes descended into chaos before astonished onlookers at the club’s Clayton Wood training ground.
Trouble flared when a player, believed to be Whelan, left a pig’s head among Jones’s clothes in his locker after the forward had changed for training.
Hamming it up: Brek Shea posted this image of him holding a pig's head in the Stoke changing room
The Trinidad and Tobago international, who according to his girlfriend had asked to be exempt from the japes, failed to appreciate the attempted humour when he returned.
The £8m striker was furious and went outside to his team-mate’s car, smashing the windscreen in a revenge attack.
The incident was seen by Stoke supporters waiting for autographs outside the complex and the news spread via twitter within minutes.
When put to him by a Twitter follower that he had been responsible for the damage, Jones replied: "For your info I didn't do that get ur info correct."
It was the last in a string of jokes that Pulis’s squad had played on each other in the week building up to their final match of the season.
Michael Owen’s Mercedes C63 was covered with egg and flour - but it appears that Whelan’s decision to leave the item in Jones’s locker was a step too far.
Anger: Kenwyne Jones' partner spoke out against the prank on her twitter, hinting at religious outrage
Stoke midfielder Brek Shea posted a picture of himself holding the head on his own Instagram page.
The girlfriend of fringe squad player Jamie Ness, Heather Weir, was one of the first to comment on the image, writing: ‘Totally love my boyfriend coming home to tell me a pigs head was getting passed round the changing rooms lol!’
The caption ‘Locker room banter gone wild!’ suggested the prank was well received by the players involved, but Jones’s girlfriend, Kissa Abdullah, claimed the opposite.
She hit back on her own account in an angry rant, writing: “Big men acting like kids a pigs head is not a prank its just disgusting!!!!! Wtf??? I don’t get how was that sup 2 be funny!!!! Really???
“They put a huge bloody pigs head in his clothes at training. He warned them 2 keep out of the banter or else! u kno the rest.’
Not happy: Kenwyne Jones was the victim of the pig's head prank
She added: ‘Listen 4 all those who don’t get it lay the f! back! Where I come from that’s not anywhere close 2 funny! Esp not knowing religious beliefs,’ before concluding, ‘It just takes a minute to be sensitive to someone’s beliefs no one says u can’t have a sense of humour but let it be a joke! This wasn’t!’
Jones does hold religious convictions describing himself as ‘god-fearing’ on his own Twitter account.
Stoke released a statement confirming their decision to hold an enquiry, saying: 'The club takes seriously reports of an incident at our training ground this afternoon.
'A full investigation will be carried out and those responsible for any unacceptable behaviour will be dealt with in accordance with the club’s disciplinary procedures.'
Pulis was holding his pre-match briefing before Sunday’s trip to Southampton as events unfolded but was informed afterwards and is due to see both players today before the team coach departs for the south coast.
Happy Sunday: Michael Owen woke up to find his car caked in eggs and flour before his final game
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