'I think I was used' - Rory Best 'regrets' appearance at Belfast rape trial

While Best did not act as a character witness in the end, he was photographed at court days before Ireland's Six Nations match against France, prompting a social media backlash.

Former Ulster Rugby stars Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding were acquitted of rape after a nine-week trial in 2018.

Speaking on Off The Ball on Newstalk, Best said that he felt “used” by Mr Jackson’s defence team.

The rugby player said that he is a “trusting person” in nature and that he felt used.

“I look back now and I do think I was used, I didn’t ever think that that would be the case.

“It suited the defence to have me there.

“And that is the bit that in hindsight, it was bad advice for me to be there. I was naive enough to think that I could go as a friend,” he added.

He said that he was advised by Mr Jackson’s legal team to appear as a character witness but failed to seek independent legal advice.

“That was more mistakes because when you are a reasonably trusting person you think that, ‘oh well look if they’re saying this then it must be for my benefit’, when it turned out it wasn’t,” he explained.

“It turned it into a circus and it put a lot more pressure on something that was very sensitive.

“And that is the thing that I definitely regret the most, to turn a magnifying glass on it like that. You live and learn and that was a big thing to live and learn,” he added.

Even though the judge had informed the jury that Mr Best was at court after the advice from senior counsel, he added: “While I was directed, ultimately I should have at least gotten independent advice and that’s my mistake and I hold my hands up to that.”

In the end, Mr Best did not act as a character witness.

“I think for those reasons, that, because it turned into something that they didn’t want, it turned into about rugby and about the pressure being applied from the rugby fraternity and they said that it kind of took the decision out of my hands,” Mr Best said.