Richard Keogh awarded £2.3 million in breach of contract case against Derby County

The defender was sacked by Derby in October 2019

Former Derby County captain Richard Keogh has been awarded £2.3 million [just over €2.65m] in compensation after winning a long-running compensation claim against the Championship side. The Republic of Ireland international, who had been with Derby from 2012 until October 2019, was sacked by the club shortly after being in a car accident following a team bonding session. Then-teammate Tom Lawrence, who had been over the drink driving limit, was at the wheel of the vehicle when it crashed into a lamppost in September 2019. Keogh, who sustained serious knee ligament damage as a result of the crash, was dismissed by Derby for gross misconduct the following month. His contract with the club had been worth £24,000-a-week plus bonuses, and had been due to run until June 2021. The defender went to the the EFL's Player Related Dispute Commission [PDRC] following his sacking, where he was awarded a full payout. Derby contested the decision at the League Appeals' Committee [LAC], only for the original verdict to be upheld. "The LAC has heard and dismissed an appeal under the regulations of the EFL by Derby against the decision of the PRDC in the case of Richard Keogh," an EFL statement read.

"The PDRC held that Mr Keogh had not committed gross misconduct, that he had not brought the club into serious disrepute and that he had been wrongly dismissed by the club."

Prior to crashing into the lamppost, Lawrence had collided into the back of a vehicle being driven by Mason Bennett, now of Millwall. Both players fled the scene, leaving Keogh unconscious. Lawrence and Bennett later admitted drink-driving and failing to stop at the scene of an accident when they later appeared at Derby magistrates court. With Keogh facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines as he recovered from his injuries, Derby initially told him he could stay at the club - but only on significantly reduced wages. When he refused, he was dismissed by the club with immediate effect. After submitting an initial appeal to the club over the decision, Keogh took his complaint to the EFL when it was thrown out. Keogh went on to join MK Dons, leaving them in January for Huddersfield Town.

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