COWDENBEATH footballer Dean Brett has been handed an immediate four-game suspension over the Scottish Football Association over alleged offensive comments on social media.

The defender was found to be in breach of SFA disciplinary rules on social media and will be banned for four matches, with an additional four suspended for 12 months.

Brett had already been suspended by the Central Park club after admitting to gambling claims and the club confirmed the SFA's action after an investigation into his Twitter account.

A Blue Brazil statement read: "Following complaints from two organisations concerned with equality issues, the SFA investigated Dean Brett’s Twitter account re alleged offensive Tweets. This resulted in the matter being brought before an SFA Disciplinary Tribunal.

"We can now confirm the final Determination has now been received and accepted from that Tribunal. Following a hearing at Hampden Park, the Tribunal found that between 23 May 2016 and 5 November 2016 Dean made comments upon a social networking site, namely Twitter, that were of a discriminatory, and offensive nature, based upon sexual orientation as well as comments that were otherwise of an offensive nature.

"Thus Dean Brett was in breach of Disciplinary Rule 73 of the SFA’s Disciplinary Rules. The outcome now is that an 8 match suspension will apply as follows – 4 matches immediate.

"Thereafter four matches suspended for 12 months and to only take effect in the event that: 1. Dean commits a further breach of Disciplinary Rule 73 before 16 January 2018; and/or 2: the tweets agreed by the parties at the hearing of 16 January 2017 as having breached Disciplinary Rule 73 are not removed by Dean Brett from his Twitter account by 5pm on 17 January 2017; and/or 3: Dean fails to produce evidence, before 16 January 2018, to the Judicial Panel Secretary, that he attended training upon a) the use of social media and b) equality issues."

The 24-year-old issued an apology to the club and its supporters after he admitted to placing thousands of bets - including some against his own team - since the 2011/12 season.

It emerged that he had placed bets on more than 6,000 games, including five in which he played, and he admitted: "The SFA have looked at my tweets and from there, they've found all my betting accounts and seen I've made all these bets. I didn't realise the gambling had become such a problem but obviously it has."

Brett said that the problem was at its worst while he was coping with the death of daughter Mollie in the summer of 2015, which heartbreakingly followed less than seven months later by the loss of his 22-year-old partner Gemma Porteous to cancer.

Brett, who has been with the Blue Brazil for almost 10 years, was suspended by the club last Thursday and met with manager Liam Fox and chairman Donald Findlay on Tuesday, but not decision has yet been made about his future.