Richard Keogh has submitted his appeal against his sacking for gross misconduct from Derby County.

The centre-back, who was the Rams club captain, was dismissed by the Championship outfit after he was ruled out for 15 months following a car crash that saw teammates Mason Bennett and Tom Lawrence sentenced for drink-driving.

Keogh suffered a serious knee ligament injury that required surgery and he may not feature again until late in 2020.

Derby confirmed their decision at the end of October and part of the statement revealed that Keogh had up to 14 days to launch an appeal.

And, Telegraph reporter John Percy stated this evening that the Ireland international has taken the first formal step as he contests the decision.

"As expected, Richard Keogh has this evening submitted a formal appeal against his dismissal by #dcfc for gross misconduct. Keogh has the backing of the PFA and is strongly opposing his sacking."

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During his time with the club, the 33-year-old made over 350 appearances for the club and he had been an ever-present in the Championship under Phillip Cocu until the incident.

The verdict

This isn't a surprise as Keogh made it clear pretty quickly that he wanted to appeal this as he feels he has been treated unfairly.

So, this update confirms that first step but it's going to be a long process before a decision is made.

Keogh will be grateful that he has the support of the PFA and no matter what people think of the whole incident it's a shame for both sides that it has reached this point.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.