CLIFTONVILLE footballer Jay Donnelly has been sacked by the club the day after he was sent to jail.
The 24-year-old received a three month jail sentence on Tuesday for sharing an indecent image of a 16-year-old girl.
He was originally sentenced to four months in prison in January but had the sentence reduced on appeal.
The striker, from Ardilea Drive in north Belfast, had previously been suspended by the club following his admission to the charge in November last year.
It is understood Cliftonville FC sent a letter to Donnelly yesterday afternoon terminating his employment with the Solitude outfit.
On Tuesday the club said that they would "now take cognisance of the final judgment". The Irish league side however has come in for criticism for not sacking the striker immediately after his guilty plea.
Cliftonville was making no comment last night on the sacking but is expected to release a statement today.
The Irish Football Association's (IFA) disciplinary committee is also due to meet later in this month to consider banning Donnelly from playing football at any level in Northern Ireland.
The IFA is also considering a charge against Donnelly for bringing the game into disrepute.
Donnelly took the photograph of himself having sex with the girl who was wearing a club shirt with his name and number on the back in June 2016.
He shared the image with a friend and a WhatsApp group with 10 members, including some team-mates. It was later leaked on social media. Donnelly admitted the charge of distributing the image at Belfast Magistrates Court on November 23.
Donnelly has apologised to his victim "for the hurt that my action caused".
