Richard Tait: Defender signed Motherwell deal before St Mirren move
- Published
Richard Tait was nearing 150 Motherwell appearances when the 2019-20 season was curtailed
Richard Tait left Motherwell "out of principle" when the club tried to renegotiate a deal after he signed it.
The full-back joined St Mirren last week but revealed he had agreed to prolong his four-year stay at Fir Park.
Tait returned his new contract during lockdown, but it was not processed and, after "a couple of weeks" of silence, Motherwell "tried to change terms".
Motherwell have denied any wrong doing, saying they are "disheartened" by his comments.
"It was quite a complicated ending, I guess," 30-year-old Tait told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound.
"I actually signed the contract and sent it back but it was a bit of a wait to hear back from them.
"Obviously, the league finished and Motherwell were third, so I thought the contract was fine. But they rang me and pretty much tried to change terms. I walked away out of principle more than anything.
"I've no ill feeling towards the club but I felt at the time they were just taking advantage of a bad situation. So, I just thought I'd take a risk and leave and luckily for me it worked out."
Motherwell released a statement on Sunday night stating Tait was originally offered contracts at the start of the year that were both rejected, and that the Fir Park club had a long-term plan for the right-back to eventually move on to Stephen Robinson's backroom staff.
However, due to the uncertainty of the club's financial position during lockdown, the Fir Park club could not sign off on his contract, and that new terms and a later review were offered and subsequently turned down.
"We made a promise to Richard that we would look to review his contract at a later date, once there was greater clarity over supporters being able to return to stadiums," it read.
"We are disheartened that someone who has been part of the fabric of our club for four years would make an accusation that we would try and take advantage of a grave situation like Covid-19.
"It should therefore be noted that Richard chose to reject the new terms offered to him by the club. We did not withdraw the opportunity for him to remain part of Motherwell Football Club. He is fully entitled to follow this path and we respect his right to do so."
Galashiels-born Tait made 250 appearances for Tamworth, Cambridge United and Grimsby before his first experience of Scottish football with Motherwell.
He made 142 appearances, some of those alongside midfielder Mark O'Hara, who has been tipped to join him at St Mirren after spending last term on loan at Fir Park from Peterborough.
"He'll be a welcome addition if he does come," Tait said. "He's a dedicated boy, a proper athlete, and he can play as well."