He explained that both he and Freddy Shepherd gave Bowyer’s reputation a lot of thought before reaching the conclusion that he would be a valuable addition to the squad and deserves another chance to revive his career.
"We had to give it an awful lot of consideration," said Sir Bobby.
"I've met the boy, I've met his girlfriend and I was very warmed by both of them.
"Lee knows that he made an error, but he needs a second chance. He is obviously aware of what happened, but that's in the past.
"We feel that we can support him and give him guidance. We have a lot of fine players at Newcastle, we have a good squad, we have a lot of good character and we just think that, once he settles into our situation, he'll turn out to be a fine pro and a fine boy.
"I'm very confident about that. We did wrestle. We knew there was a slight problem in that sense with Lee Bowyer, but the past is the past.
"The boy needs a chance. Many other clubs would have given him that chance, but we've given it to him and I'm sure that the boy will respond and he will be very pleased to be at Newcastle United, and I think that he will have a good long career with us.
"We are trying to make some indentation into the Premier League with Arsenal and Manchester United dominating the scene, and you do that, I guess with a bit of time, with a bit more experience and with a bit more investment.
"Lee Bowyer is a fine player, that isn't in any doubt. That's in my opinion. I've watched him and seen him play for many years and he's a great player, there isn't any question about that, and he'll just be a massive addition to our squad."