COLIN Hendry has walked away from an estimated £500,000 testimonial pay cheque to grab his chance of playing for Rangers.

Giving his only newspaper interview, exclusively to the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, since it was revealed that he had made up his mind to leave Ewood, Hendry stressed: "Money was never a factor in my decision."

The defender, whose benefit year was due to kick off in September - and include a likely sell-out game against Rangers! - will now be scrapped.

And an estimated £80-100,000 which has already been banked for sponsorship packages will have to be handed back.

Hendry revealed that some local businessmen had already called, bitter about his departure and cancelling their deals.

"If I was leaving because of money, I could understand the public having a go at me. But money has never entered into this," he said.

"I have put family values in front of that. Yes, I am a well-paid footballer but I am not leaving because I am getting paid x, y or z. "In fact, I am walking away from an estimated £500,000. That is the figure the testimonial committee believed we would have reached over the year.

"There isn't going to be a testimonial now and there are so many people who have worked ever so hard for me. I now have to face them, eat a bit of humble pie and try to show them what I really think of them.

"Even tonight, as we are speaking, people are cancelling testimonial packages they have bought.

"I know they will probably feel bitter at the minute. But, hopefully, in time they will understand."

Hendry also revealed that there was a possibility of having a clause inserted in the contract he signed last week, enabling him to leave at the end of next season if he wished. "I could not have gone through with my testimonial year and then said I am going to leave," he explained. "Along the lines of the discussions, it was mentioned that a clause be put in my contract that I could leave at the end of next season.

"But I couldn't go through a testimonial year and say cheerio at the end of it. How could I do that? It would be fleecing the fans. "The club probably hadn't thought of it in that way, they would have been thinking along the lines that they needed time to replace me.

"But it was either now or never."

Hendry insists that his decision is based purely and simply on putting family values first.

"There is no financial angle on this at all. I have turned my back on £500,000 net next season," he added. "But I couldn't have taken all that money from the fans and then said right, thanks very much I am going. There is no way I could have done that. I would have had to tell the fans, so it would have been a pointless exercise.

"That was never mentioned in the statement. I keep referring to the statement because when I picked up the Telegraph last night I was as low as I have felt for quite a long time because I don't think the statement did me justice.

"The manager made some good points. He wants it resolved as quickly, as I do, because he knows I want to leave. He was right, no-one is bigger than the club and I certainly don't think I am any bigger than Blackburn Rovers. "When I am dead and buried they will hopefully still be flying high in the Premiership.

"And it's not about me not liking Blackburn. Jack Walker has often said: 'Colin's happy, he's not leaving.'

"That's right but the fact is I might be happier somewhere else.

"That place is my home, it's where I come from and it just happens to be the biggest club in that country.

"There is nothing the club has done to aggravate my situation. It is purely a personal thing.

"I have nothing against anybody and I would like to think and hope that nobody has anything against me.

"But I am sure that, at this moment, some will feel bitter that I want to leave.

"I hope to be a part of the history that the club will look back on and say 'We didn't have a problem with him'. I don't think I have given them a problem all my career.

"My situation is the same as everyone else's - their family is more important than anything else."

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