Wednesday 11 April 2018 20:45, UK
Former West Brom manager Alan Pardew has spoken on behalf of Jay Rodriguez at the forward's independent commission hearing at Wembley.
Pardew left the club last week, but it is understood he felt a moral obligation to stand by his former player.
Rodriguez requested a personal hearing after being charged by the FA with using racist language towards Brighton defender Gaeten Bong in a game at The Hawthorns in January.
Sky Sports News understands the three-person panel examining the FA charge deliberated for over three hours without being able to reach a decision.
The hearing began on Wednesday, but a decision is not expected to be made until Thursday at the earliest.
The Baggies forward strenuously denies the charge, and insists he was mockingly referencing Bong's "bad breath", and has hired lip readers to try to prove his claim.
If found guilty, Rodriguez will face a minimum five-game ban, which would rule him out of the rest of West Brom's season.
It is also understood Rodriguez's representatives are taking legal advice to discover whether they have a case to sue for damage to his reputation.
