Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has pledged the club's full support to Titus Bramble after the defender was arrested on suspicion of rape.
The 29-year-old and his brother Tesfaye, 30, were detained after the alleged rape of a young woman at a Newcastle city centre hotel was reported to police in the early hours of this morning. Quinn revealed Bramble "strenuously denies any wrong-doing" and will fight to clear his name.
"This has been a very difficult day for everyone at the football club, no one more so than Titus, who categorically refutes the allegations that have been made against him," Quinn said in a statement.
"He strenuously denies any wrong-doing and will be doing everything within his power to clear his name.
"I, as chairman, and the club as a whole, totally support Titus in his efforts and we all hope for a swift conclusion to this matter."
It is believed the alleged rape happened at the four-star Vermont Hotel, which has an entrance close to bars and nightclubs on Newcastle's quayside.
A Northumbria Police spokesman said: "Police received a report of a rape of a woman at a city centre hotel in Newcastle in the early hours.
"Two men, aged 29 and 30, have been arrested on suspicion of rape."
Bramble, a former England Under-21 player, was signed by Sunderland manager Steve Bruce from Wigan for a fee thought to be around £1million in the summer.
His brother Tesfaye, who has played international football for Montserrat, a British island in the Caribbean, is a striker for Eastern Counties League Premier Division club Leiston, in Suffolk.
A spokesman for Bramble's solicitor Mark Haslam refused to comment, as did hotel staff.
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