Former West Bromwich Albion manager Alan Pardew has reportedly spoken on behalf of Jay Rodriguez at the forward's independent commission hearing on Wednesday.

Rodriguez requested a personal hearing after being charged by the Football Association with using racist language towards Brighton & Hove Albion defender Gaetan Bong in January.

The Baggies player was at Wembley for the hearing, but according to Sky Sports News, a decision is not expected to be made until Thursday at the earliest.

Pardew left The Hawthorns last week, but the report claims that he felt a moral obligation to stand by his former player.

Rodriguez strenuously denies the allegation that he used "abusive and/or insulting words which included a reference to ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race" during the Premier League game at The Hawthorns on 13 January.

The former Southampton striker claims that he merely referenced the Cameroon defender's "bad breath" and has hired lip readers to try to prove his claim.

If found guilty, Rodriguez will face a minimum five-game ban, which would rule him out of the remainder of West Brom's season.