James Tavernier has opened up on the emotional circumstances behind his brief departure from Ibrox before Rangers’ clash with Hibernian in what was expected to be his final home appearance for the club.
The veteran full-back, who is set to leave Rangers this summer after more than a decade at the club, caused concern on Wednesday after reports emerged that he had walked out of the stadium following disappointment over not being named in the starting lineup.
However, despite withdrawing from the squad initially, Tavernier later returned to Ibrox shortly before kick-off and was honoured by the club ahead of the match.
Now, the 34-year-old has released a heartfelt statement on social media explaining the chain of events behind the emotional episode.
“The last 24 hours have been the most difficult and emotional of my career for both myself and my family,” he said.
“I am sure you will all understand that I cannot allow any confusion around my departure or the events surrounding last night’s game.
“I picked up a knock on my ankle after the Hearts game. Following discussions with the medical staff, we agreed that an injection was the only option, which was initially scheduled for Thursday.
“After Sunday’s game, and with emotions running high, I made the decision to bring the injection forward to Tuesday.
“That decision would have ruled me out of both Wednesday and Saturday’s matches.
“After speaking throughout Monday with my family and the medical department, I came to the decision to delay the injection until Thursday so I could play one final game at Ibrox on Wednesday night.”
Furthermore, Tavernier revealed he personally informed the manager about his desire to lead the team out one final time alongside his children.
“I personally informed the manager of this decision and explained how important it was to me and my family that I had the opportunity to say goodbye properly to the Ibrox faithful.
“I said I wanted to lead the lads out at Ibrox one last time and have my children walk out with me as mascots. I was told this was the right decision and that I deserved a proper send off.”
However, emotions escalated after he later discovered he would only feature from the bench.
“After messaging the manager on Tuesday to ask whether I would be starting the game, and explaining that my children were asking if they would still be walking out as mascots, I was then informed that I would be starting the match as a substitute. In that moment, my emotions understandably took over.
“Many people may feel I could have handled the situation better, and I accept that, but after dedicating over a decade of my life to this club, with my family beside me throughout it all, I felt deeply hurt and let down.”
Tavernier also admitted that communication failures played a major role in the situation spiralling before the emotional farewell.
“I firmly believe the situation could and should have been handled much better from all sides.
“A lack of communication allowed matters to escalate unnecessarily in the build up to such an emotional occasion for myself and my family.”
After more than 10 years at Rangers, Tavernier’s emotional goodbye marks the end of a significant era at Ibrox, where he established himself as one of the club’s most influential modern captains.
Toosin is a dedicated sports writer with a strong background in crafting engaging and insightful content. With experience at Goal, he has developed a sharp editorial sense and a refined storytelling approach that brings depth and perspective to sports journalism. His passion for the game goes beyond the headlines, as he captures both the excitement of the sport and the compelling human narratives behind each event. Toosin’s work resonates with a broad and diverse audience, making global sports stories accessible, relatable, and impactful.
