I almost feel sorry for Ched. Almost

THERE were moments yesterday when I almost felt sorry for Ched Evans. Almost. The footballer and convicted rapist was dropped at the last moment by Oldham Athletic FC.

The club bowed out after a public outcry, while disgruntled advertisers and sponsors threatened to withdraw financial support.

There were also violent threats made to staff members at the club. One official was telephoned and told that his daughter would be raped, while various board members have been given death threats.

Much as I dislike Evans, what he did and his attitude ever since, this kind of behaviour is completely deplorable; the warped scruples of the lynch mob laid bare. In particular, it takes a certain kind of knucklehead to issue a threat of rape because of their objections to a club signing a rapist. Perhaps they didn’t get the memo from the Feminist Society? Morons.

From the start, this has been a lamentable business, badly handled by all concerned. Evans has already appealed against his guilty verdict, and lost. Perhaps he should have waited until the ongoing investigation into his conviction by the Criminal Cases review Commission is completed before even attempting to embark on a comeback.

What is awful about all this is that it gives an excuse to those who believe Ched Evans has been pilloried and crucified unfairly on top of his sentencing. It gives them more reason to believe that having been punished and served his time in jail, Evans deserves his re- entry back into the sport he loves sooner rather than later.

I am not among their number. Although Evans made a conciliatory statement yesterday and almost, but not quite, apologised to his victim, I don’t think he deserves his place back in professional football, to be lionised and cheered by adoring home fans. Week after week, it would send out a terrible message about violence against women.

And let’s be realistic. How many men with a conviction for rape could expect to walk back into their old job and pick up the threads of their lives as if nothing had happened? Everything has changed. This is not just about being a footballer. Ordinary people pay for the crimes they commit for the rest of their lives. A serious crime, such as a rape, would debar most men from any job of prestige for ever. At the very least, they would have to re-invent and rehabilitate themselves. A public figure like Evans would also be expected to at least try to atone in some meaningful way for his wrongdoing. In the midst of this ongoing, distasteful row, something very important has been forgotten. It is that redemption, like respect, cannot be given or taken. It has to be earned.