On Tuesday Newcastle suspended Joey Barton "until further notice" in a move that portends an end to the midfielder’s career at the club. The announcement followed reports of a locker-room confrontation with interim head coach Alan Shearer in the wake of Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield.
Shearer had publicly accused Barton of letting himself and the club down by getting a red card in the game’s closing minutes for a reckless challenge on Xabi Alonso. The red card ensured Barton will miss Newcastle’s three remaining matches this season, which will determine whether or not the club keeps its place in the Premier League.
Barton, 26, has missed most of this season through a combination of injury and suspension after being given a second chance at the club following two assault convictions last year. Barton spent 74 days in prison for assaulting a 16-year-old in December 2007. And he received a four-month suspension for a training-ground assault on former Manchester City teammate Ousmane Dabo that fractured Dabo’s eye-socket in April 2007. Among other violent incidents that have marred Barton’s short career, he stubbed a lit cigar into a teammate’s eye at a team Christmas pary and scrapped with a 15-year-old at a Bangkok hotel.