The father of England and Chelsea defender John Terry pleaded guilty today to a charge of supplying cocaine.
Edward Terry (56) of Chafford Hundred, Essex, admitted dealing the drug when he appeared before magistrates in Basildon.
He spoke only to confirm his personal details and enter a guilty plea.
The court was told he sold cocaine worth £160 to an undercover reporter from the News of the World in a winebar in Chafford Hundred last November.
Terry's lawyer Neil Saunders said his client had been targeted by journalists because of his son, and was embarrassed about the upset it had caused.
"(He) was targeted by the News of the World," Mr Saunders told the court. "They spent seven weeks, four nights a week, trying to find out something about him to use on the front page."
Mr Saunders said Terry had been out with friends and had drunk a "considerable amount".
He added: "Of course he is embarrassed for the upset he has caused to his son - and that is the reason he was targeted."
Terry was freed on bail and will be sentenced at Basildon Crown Court on June 1st.
John Terry (29), who was stripped of the England captaincy in February following newspaper reports about his private life, is due to lead his Chelsea side out in Saturday's FA Cup Final against Portsmouth.