THERE are too many parents who fail to take responsibility for their children’s actions.

We therefore applaud Gary Miller for making his teenage son Ross apologise for his unacceptable behaviour during the Wear-Tyne football derby at the weekend.

Ross, 17, was arrested by police after running onto the pitch and pushing Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper to the floor following Sunderland’s last gasp equaliser.

Yesterday, Mr Miller drove his son to Newcastle’s training ground in an attempt to say sorry to Harper, and then to the Stadium of Light in Sunderland to offer further apologies.

Instead of hiding away from the embarrassment of his son’s actions – as many would have done – Mr Miller chose instead to demonstrate publicly that he will not tolerate such behaviour.

It was the right thing to do and, hopefully, Ross has learned an important lesson for life.

The apology goes some way towards making up for what Ross did – but it does not mean the authorities should let him off completely.

The punishment may be tempered by the family’s efforts to apologise, but Ross must still face a ban from attending football matches, as well as whatever sentence the criminal justice system decides is appropriate.

Passions run high in football but the sport cannot afford to have fans running onto the pitch and manhandling players. It may have been a moment of madness – but an example has to be set.