DUMPED...before he even kicked a football
Newly signed rapist striker WON’T play for Raith Rovers
RAPIST footballer David Goodwillie will never play for Raith Rovers after the club’s directors admitted ‘we got it wrong’.
The Scottish Championship side signed the 32-year-old striker in the January transfer window, sparking a backlash from staff, supporters and politicians.
Yesterday the board at the Kirkcaldy club announced that he will not play for the Stark’s Park team and they are discussing his ‘contractual position’.
Goodwillie escaped criminal prosecution alongside David Robertson, his then teammate at Dundee United, after they were accused of rape in 2011.
Their victim Denise Clair, who waived her right to anonymity, successfully sued the pair for £100,000 at the Court of Session in 2017, after the judge ruled that they had raped her.
Earlier this week, Raith Rovers issued a statement standing by the decision to sign
former Pm joins outcry over raPist footballer Daily Mail, February 2
Goodwillie from League One team Clyde. However, club chairman John Sim yesterday reversed the decision, apologising for the ‘anguish and anger’ it had caused. He said the club had ‘listened carefully to the fans’ and admitted: ‘We got it wrong.’
The initial decision to sign Goodwillie was backed by four out of six directors but resulted in board members Bill Clark and Andy Mill resigning.
Mr Clark said it was ‘one of the worst decisions this club has ever made at board level’. He said it was ‘made clear at the board meeting on Monday morning what kind of reaction there would be from the supporters and from the community’.
He said yesterday he was ‘pleased that the decision has been overturned’ but added that those still running the club must resign.
Raith Rovers’ women’s team captain Tyler Rattray resigned following Goodwillie’s transfer, after being with the club for ten years.
The board’s U-turn comes after days of scrutiny from politicians, supporters and sponsors including crime writer Val McDermid, a lifelong Raith Rovers fan.
Miss McDermid, 66, withdrew her shirt sponsorship deal after the club announced it had signed Goodwillie. She also announced on Wednesday that she would help the women’s team move away from the club, funding strips and a new crest. Speaking to the BBC, she said: ‘I’ve pivoted towards the women’s and girls’ teams and my position now is to support them into rebuilding their confidence and their trust in themselves.’
Yesterday she welcomed the ‘victory of sorts’, saying: ‘It’s just the first step on a long road back.
‘The same people who made the decision are still in charge. Those who love and value the club are still on the outside; they need to be on the inside, shaping the future for the community.’
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, also a lifelong supporter of the Fife team, had earlier condemned the signing. He said yesterday: ‘Raith Rovers FC have made the right decision.
‘As I said on Monday, football authorities, given the recent examples, need to consider how we deal with cases of footballers where there has been rape and violence against women.’
Rape Crisis Scotland said: ‘The Scottish public should be proud that they made the terrible decision by Raith Rovers FC untenable. We have been so heartened to see the response from fans, sponsors, staff and the women’s football team in particular.
‘We applaud the courage and principle of those who did the right thing, even when it came at great personal cost and was clearly very painful. We are also grateful to all who donated to Rape Crisis in protest and solidarity.’