Three men denied involvement (9)

I believe the answer is:

sidelined

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'denied involvement' is the definition.
The definition suggests a past participle verb which matches the answer.

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(Other definitions for sidelined that I've seen before include "Kept to the periphery" , "Confined to the periphery" , "Prevented from participating" , "Removed from active participation" , "kicked downstairs" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.

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