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England opener Alex Hales has been reprimanded by Cricket Discipline Commission over a historic social media post from 2009 showing him in blackface at a New Year's Eve party.
Hales had issued a public apology when the photo was published by The Sun last year. As per Sky Sports, the image was apparently taken in 2009 when the batter was 20 years of age at a New Year's Eve Party.
As per ESPNCricinfo, during the investigation, Hales questioned the need for "repeated publication of these old matters", but adjudicator Chris Tickle ruled "the interests of transparency should prevail".
As per England and Wales Cricket Board, CDC is a body operating at "arm's length" from the board and listens to disciplinary cases in the professional domestic game in England and Wales.
Back in August this year, Hales was charged with breaching directive 3.3 of ECB, which states, "No such person may conduct himself in a manner or do any act or omission which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute.''
Hales admitted the charge and told CDC that steps were taken by him "to ensure that the photo could not be linked to any of his social media accounts" in 2015 and 2017.
As per CDC's report, ECB argued that Hales' breaches of its directives in 2018, relating primarily to the 2017 street fight in Bristol, should be considered "an aggravating factor", but Tickle disagreed.
"Neither of those breaches related to discriminatory conduct," he wrote. "They were wholly dissimilar. Further, they occurred some eight years after the breach in this case. It would be different if it were a case of repeat offending, of Hales not having learnt his lesson. At the material time - 2009 - he had a clean record. This was his first offence and it is appropriate to treat it as such."
The batter was previously investigated, warned by his county Nottinghamshire and he questioned the need of giving "more airtime" to the subject, as per CDC report.
"I have taken this into account but consider that the interests of transparency should prevail," Tickle wrote. "I direct that this decision should be published so as to emphasise that such posting on social media, however historical, will not be tolerated," he added.