Jailed Premier League footballer Marlon King could be set to appeal against his conviction and 18-month prison sentence for sexual assault and actual bodily harm, according to his agent on Friday.
Wigan striker King was found guilty and jailed on Thursday over an incident which took place in a London nightclub in December while he was on loan at Hull City.
The 29-year-old learned within hours of his conviction that his club have decided to sack him, but his agent Tony Finnegan revealed that King has no intention of conceding his guilt.
"No one saw this coming in light of the evidence. He's very, very disappointed - because clearly, as he said in his evidence, it's mistaken identity. He didn't do that," Finnegan told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"He'll be devastated, sitting in a cell with someone tonight. But he's a grown man; he's been there before and he'll take it on the chin.
"I asked Marlon and he said 'I'm not guilty, Tony - I didn't do it. I want the British justice system to find me not guilty'.
"I understand the lawyers are looking at the files and the transcripts to launch an appeal."
Finnegan, who is unhappy at Wigan's decision and the failure of the Professional Footballers' Association to support King, is already considering the player's options, should his appeal be successful in securing an early release.
He is confident that King will still be an attractive proposition for clubs in need of a striker whenever he comes out of prison.
"He's employed in football to score goals. Anyone who's played with Marlon King will tell you he's a great professional," Finnegan said.
"When he trains he works hard, he's a leader and he's a winner, and he scores goals - he's good at it.
"He still will be a good goal scorer and I'm sure someone will want his signature to play football and do the job that he's best at."
Finnegan believes the experience of being locked up will have a positive effect on King.
"I don't want to name names but there are lots of players in this country who have fallen short of the law, done the crime, done the time, come out, and I'm sure if you're sitting in a six by six (cell) you do have time to reflect on the change you make as a person in your life," he said.
"Forget about playing football here, just as a human being you're going to be different."
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan confirmed King will never play for his club again.
He told Sky Sports News: "We have to follow the rules and regulations, which means we will have to give him 14 days' notice that his contract will be cancelled.
"He is absolutely sacked - we will not tolerate football players who get sent to jail for 18 months. As far as we are concerned, he is finished with football at Wigan Athletic."
King was celebrating both his wife's pregnancy and scoring a winning goal hours earlier when he was repeatedly "cold-shouldered" by women revellers in London's packed Soho Revue Bar.
When a slightly-built university student dismissed King's advances, he lost his temper and in an outburst of "completely gratuitous violence" lashed out, "smashing" her to the floor, London's Southwark Crown Court heard.
King claimed he was a victim of "mistaken identity". But after hearing evidence from a string of witnesses, including a football coach who insisted he was the assailant, the jury decided he was lying.
