To all Harlequins supporters.

I am writing to update you on recent events at the club so far as I am able, given that disciplinary action is still ongoing.

It has been a difficult and challenging time since the initial findings and sanctions were announced by ERC on 20 July.

As a club, we felt it was important to wait until we received the written judgement, but before that we had begun conducting our own internal review with the evidence that was available to us.

During this process Dean Richards's resignation from his position as director of rugby was accepted on 8 August.

I would like to thank Dean on behalf of the club for his enormous contribution over the last four seasons.

His input has been absolutely central to the improvements the club has made on the field and I am sure that I speak on behalf of the players, staff, board and supporters in thanking Dean and wishing him all the best in his future.

It was no surprise to me that he wanted to take full responsibility for events.

One mistake, albeit extremely high profile, should not overshadow a career in which so much has been achieved.

You have probably read in the press that the ERC appeal hearing is taking place in Glasgow on Monday.

Our focus as a club now is to reduce Tom Williams' ban which we felt was disproportionate and to ensure that we do not get expelled from European rugby.

The club has accepted the findings of the initial ERC inquiry and accepted the sanction.

The scale of the sanction is unprecedented in the game and the severity of the fine is a clear message, not only to our club but to the game as a whole, that this type of behaviour is not acceptable and will be severely punished.

We entirely agree with that message and sincerely hope that no further sanctions are imposed upon a club whose presence in the Heineken Cup is based on playing merit and playing merit alone.

With regards to our internal inquiry, this is still ongoing but has already resulted in a number of outcomes.

Aside from Dean's resignation, we have written to Leinster to formally apologise unreservedly for the incident.

We have appointed an independent person to continue the internal review looking at every aspect of this affair but his remit is wider - allowing him to examine any other similar behaviour and helping us to ensure we put stronger processes and policies in place to ensure that Harlequins can start to rebuild its reputation as a successful team, both on the field and in terms of the values that we stand for.

I would also like to apologise to the supporters of Harlequins. Some of you will feel that manipulation of the substitution, uncontested scrums and sin binning rules are so widespread in the game that this case has been blown out of all proportion.

Others will feel it a terrible episode which makes them ashamed of the club they love.

Wherever you are on that scale of reaction, I am sure you would all agree that whatever goes on elsewhere we have got to accept that we have been found guilty of behaviour that cannot be accepted or condoned. For that we apologise to you unconditionally.

However, we must not let one event negate years of hard work that have been put in over the last decade to get us into the position that we are in today.

The community schemes, the investment in the stadium, the growth of the fan base, the excellent disciplinary record that we have had up to this point, the way we conducted ourselves in Division One, the openness we have always striven to maintain with the fanbase. These things define the club in a way that one mistake never can.

We must now work to ensure that the highest of standards are upheld. I am confident that every professional rugby club across the country will be looking at this incident and will learn from how we deal with it. Our organisation needs better processes and procedures.

We have been naive in this regard, but I assure you that we have learnt from this and will endeavour to uphold the great name of your club in the future.

Dean Richards' departure raises several questions in relation to the management of the playing side at the club.

The appointment of a director of rugby is a key decision and not one that we as a club will be rushed into. The last appointment took three months. We may restructure internally or we may seek a direct replacement.

I have every faith in the abilities of our existing coaching team of John Kingston, Colin Osborne and Tony Diprose. They will temporarily take on some of the responsibilities left by Dean's departure.

The board will ensure that issues such as players' contracts and strategic decision making are not overlooked.

Finally, we truly value your support and thank you for your commitment to us. We do not underestimate how valuable your support is.

Without you we would not have made the progress that we have seen to date nor be able to take even greater steps in the future.

We appreciate that it will take time to rebuild some of the faith that you have shown in us but I hope that you will join us on Friday when we play Connacht at the Twickenham Stoop.

Kind regards, Mark Evans