He was caught up in an incident with Jonathan Woodgate nine years ago when an Asian student suffered injury and Bowyer and Woodgate (amongst others) went to court..
Lee Bowyer: 'My family are important to me and some of the stuff that was said and written was very personal. But people believe it.
'They don't know what sort of person I am. I was attacked pretty badly. I didn't think it was fair, especially as I was found not guilty. That's what hurts me the most.
'I'll walk down the street and people will say: 'Here's that racist thug.'
'I've never been a racist. I'm not a thug. When I've played football I've been competitive and sometimes, I'll admit, I've over-stepped the mark. I know that. But that's just the way I play. The game's changed. But I've not - not in the way I play, anyway.
'The thing that does me the most is that I'm labelled a racist. I've got Asian frriends, I've got African friends. I've got mates who come from every nation you can think of. How could I be a racist growing up on an estate where there are people from every different race on the planet? I never had any issues.
'I think the problem was that I was found not guilty. Maybe that was the thing. Everyone else was found guilty of something or another. People couldn't have a pop at me because of that, so they would pick on something else.'
'It (the fight with Kieron Dyer) wasn't right, but it happens on a training pitch near enough every week.
'It was nothing personal. It was unfortunate it was on the pitch.'
"The slightest thing I do is exaggerated. Someone else will do a two-footed tackle and the pundits will say: 'He's mis-timed it.' If I do it, the same people say: 'Ban him for life.'
'It's one rule for me and one rule for everyone else.
'It does gripe. I've made mistakes. I've never denied that. If I've been sent-off, I'll take my punishment. Everyone makes mistakes. But I see others doing the same and they aren't as harshly treated as me.'
"I'm not talking about Joey because I don't know him, but he's been to prison twice, hasn't he? That's nothing like me."