It's a hard thing to do to apologise and to admit wrong, but it is an important step. "He needs to come to terms with that so that we can all heal. "They're not going to give a six-game suspension if nothing was said.
"The league spoke to numerous people on his team and our team, the referees and they gave a six-game suspension," said Donovan. Donovan is adamant that Flemmings must own up to what he has done and apologise to Martin - "it doesn't have to be public, nobody has to know" - so they can "start the healing process". The situation is still far from resolved, though. "We spoke over and over, in the days following and it was hard but I think he realises that it was a really powerful message to send." "That's what he did and that's why, in my mind, he is a hero for what he did. We are very adamant now that if you see or hear something, you need to speak up and you need to act. "We had to keep reminding him that he didn't do anything wrong, he did the right thing by saying something. "He felt guilty that he said something, he felt guilty that we walked off the field, he felt guilty that our season was over," Donovan added. Donovan said he was left feeling the weight of the repercussions for speaking out against the homophobic abuse. It was a difficult time for Martin in the aftermath of the incident. That's what he did and that's why, in my mind, he is a hero for what he did. We are very adamant now that if you see or hear something you need to speak up and act. He felt guilty that he said something, he felt guilty that we walked off the field, he felt guilty that our season was over. We didn't want it to end that way but I think everybody saw the bigger meaning in what we were doing." "For us, it was so final in that moment that the season was over. "It wasn't just any game, it was our last game of the season, which, if we'd won, we would have likely made the play-offs. "It was very difficult at half-time to settle down and see the bigger picture. "When the adrenaline is going and you are beating a very good team at half-time, everybody wants to play," he said. However, neither the referee nor the Phoenix manager agreed to take him out of the game, leaving the Loyal's squad with no choice but to forfeit. There was an agreement among the players that if Flemmings was removed, they would finish the match. The former LA Galaxy and Everton player returned to the dressing room to find a "bizarre" atmosphere at half-time as he and his players came to terms with what had happened. We feel that we can all be better and utilise our platform. Some of the things that happened on the field that night couldn't be more contrary to the core values of our organisation.
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