THREE of the Sunderland footballers who fired at passers-by with a toy gun have been ordered to do community service by the club.

Sunderland AFC yesterday concluded its internal disciplinary investigations into the incidents involving Chris Brown, Ryan Bell and Sean Taylor.

All three players will be fined and issued with formal written warnings. Each of the players will also be required to do ten weeks' community service in Sunderland.

They have already been cautioned by police.

In a joint statement released last night, the players said: "We understand that what we did was unacceptable and we apologise sincerely for this. We are embarrassed by our behaviour, which was childish and immature, and we are extremely upset about the perceptions people now have of us.

"While our actions were irresponsible, our intentions were not malicious and we never intended to cause anyone any harm.

"As employees of Sunderland AFC we realise that what we did reflected badly, not only on ourselves, but also on the club. We also realise that as footballers we are in a privileged position and that many young people look up to us as their role models.

"We let the club's supporters and the city down and have learnt a hard lesson from this".

All three players will return to training and will be available for selection.

The investigation into another player, Niall Flynn, continues as the club awaits further information from the on-going police investigation. He remains suspended