Donnelly deserves a second shot with Glens, says writer
Online article defends controversial decision to sign sex offender at Oval
CONTROVERSIAL footballer Jay Donnelly should not be “robbed of his chance” to restart his career with a new club after serving his punishment as a sex offender, a writer has said.
Kevin Rooney has defended the 25-year-old in an article for online media outlet Spiked in which he insists the public outcry in response to Donnelly’s signing to east Belfast side Glentoran should not prevent the player from earning a living.
Donnelly is to join the club from Belfast Celtic after he served a three-month sentence last year for distributing an indecent image of a child.
He was prosecuted for sharing a picture of a 16-year-old girl he took while they were having sex in 2016.
News of Glentoran’s signing of Donnelly, whose contract with Cliftonville was terminated following his conviction, has prompted huge criticism — including from prominent figures within the game.
Former Northern Ireland star Gareth Mcauley has said Glentoran fans are “repulsed and infuriated” at the club’s signing.
However, Mr Rooney said the development should have been a “rare good news story for Glentoran supporters, and for Irish football fans generally, who would get to see this classy young striker play”.
“But instead the 25-year-old’s signing has provoked controversy and outrage,” he writes.
Stressing that during the trial Donnelly was described at the time as “very immature”, with his defence team revealing that he has a low IQ, the writer added that the player has “repeatedly expressed remorse and regret over the incident”.
Mr Rooney also highlights how the calls for Donnelly not to resume his career has “cut across the Protestant-catholic divide, with both sides arguing that Donnelly should not be forgiven for his past crime”.
“This was clear when the guests on Talkback, BBC Radio Ulster’s flagship current affairs programme, all passionately opposed Glentoran offering Donnelly a contract,” he adds.
“When a few listeners took to Twitter to complain about the absence of balance, Talkback presenter William Crawley apologised, but explained that his researchers had spent hours trying and failing to find anyone willing to defend Donnelly’s right to sign for the Glens.”
He said the condemnation of Donnelly’s signing “has been near universal, with Glentoran’s Facebook page bombarded with critical posts”.
Sponsors and financial backers had also faced “an angry backlash”, he noted, and there had been criticism in the media.
Mr Rooney describes support expressed for Donnelly by Glentoran manager Mick Mcdermott as “humane and dignified”, adding that “thanks to a #Metoostyle obsession” many people have lost sight of second chances for ex-offenders.
“No one is asking people to like Jay Donnelly as an individual, or to exonerate him of his past mistakes,” he says.
“If, like me, you still believe in the four Rs — redemption, reform, rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders — then we need to speak up and publicly support Glentoran’s decision... Because if this young man is robbed of his right to resume his life after serving his punishment, then he will not be the last.
“This time it is a young man from Belfast whom most have never heard of.
“Next time it could be your son, your daughter or even you.”