Jason Cummings has opened up on the Open Goal Live storm that triggered the end of his Dundee career.
After signing from Shrewsbury Town in January 2021, the 29-year-old striker notched 14 goals in 36 appearances for the Dee until a controversial appearance on stage at the Hydro in Glasgow the following December.
Less than 48 hours before Dundee were due to face Hearts in the Premiership, Cummings, dressed as the Joker from Batman film ‘The Dark Knight’, was featured in a live show staged by popular Scottish football podcast Open Goal.
Cummings admitted to having “a few drinks” to settle his nerves before sharing the stage with Graeme Souness and Paolo Di Canio and footage from the event quickly went viral on social media.
The following morning, after turning up for training at Dens Park, the ex-Hibs hit man was sent home by furious Dee boss James McPake, then saw his contract ripped up.
Speaking on the latest edition of Open Goal, Cummings, now starring and winning multiple titles in India, lifted the lid on his feelings around the incident, and insisted he never wanted to leave Dundee.
“At the time at Dundee, I wasn’t playing, so I thought it wouldn’t be a problem,” he said.
“It was the next day when I went in. I was alright to train. But see if I’d never [been on stage at the Hydro], if I’d been in the house, nobody would have known.
“Because everyone saw it, Jazza [James McPake] was fuming.
“It’s not a big deal. See if that was in Australia or somewhere like that, nothing would have happened.
“They all love all that stuff – off the pitch, do what you want, as long as you play at the weekend and you do well, you score, then it is what it is.
“When I left Dundee that time, when Jazza sent me home, my old man phoned me halfway through the drive home and he’s like: ‘What have you done? Have you been sent home?’
“It was in the paper before I even got home! That’s what’s killed me, it’s not in-house, it’s been in the paper that I’ve been let go. That killed me.
“I said to Dundee I didn’t want to leave. I was happy. I was top scorer, training unreal, the best trainer, flying.
“But Jazza just made his mind up and that was it done.
“After that, with Australia, having two years there, then India, none of that would have happened otherwise, because I really did want to stay.”
Cumming signed for Australian side Central Coast Mariners after leaving Dundee and was part of the Socceroos’ squad for the World Cup in 2022.
After helping the Mariners to glory in the A-League grand final in 2023, he moved to India with Kolkata-based Mohun Bagan, whom he helped to lift last season’s ISL League Shield before claiming victory in the ISL grand final.
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