In 2017, an Edinburgh court convicted Goodwill and David Robertson of rape. The men were accused by the woman they raped while she was drunk and refused to consent to sex. Due to too little evidence, everything ended in a civil case. Goodwillie and Robertson paid the woman £ 100,000. It was a breakthrough, however – it was the first such case in Scotland, and the footballers were eventually found guilty of rape, even though there was no criminal case.
Goodwillie continued his career with Clyde, with which he played at levels 3 and 4 in Scotland. .
The decision of Raith Rovers authorities outraged the fans
The club’s decision was met with great indignation by fans. She reacted very sharply, among others well-known crime writer Val McDermid, who has resigned from sponsoring the club and advertising the name of her website on the team’s jersey. McDermid has been a supporter of Raith Rovers since childhood, and her father worked there as a scout.
Raith Rovers authorities did nothing to smooth the situation. On the contrary, a bizarre statement by the club appeared in the media. “David is a proven goalscorer who already played for us in 2007/08 when he was on loan from Dundee United,” reads the statement.
As with any transfer, David’s case has been scrutinized from every possible angle. We respect the differences of views of our shareholders, but recognized that David, who played for our club at the beginning of his career, is a member of our family. The most important thing for us is the team and we believe that David will be a strengthening for us. We know him very well and we know what to expect from him. The decision to contract him was determined solely by sports issues – added the club’s authorities.
The women’s section players no longer wish to be associated with Raith Rovers
However, this is not the end of the criticism of Raith Rovers’ decision. The director of the women’s union, Aileen Campbell, took the floor. – The fact that the club lost the women’s team captain as a result of this transfer is devastating. It would be a disaster if the club lost players because of this bad decision, she admitted in an interview with BBC Radio Four. Tyler Rattray quit playing for the club in protest of the decision to sign for Goodwill.
– After ten long years of playing for Raith Rovers, I gave up right now because I had a contract with someone like that. I don’t want to have anything to do with him, the team captain wrote on Twitter.
Val McDermid also took the floor again. In her opinion, signing a contract with Goodwill made the female soccer players terrified. – There was a meeting after which they want to completely cut themselves off from Raith Rovers. They already have new jerseys printed with no club crest. They pledged to play not at Stark’s Park, at the Raith Rovers stadium, but at another stadium in the city, on the Windmill pitches, McDermid revealed. Moreover, the players are determined not to be under the name Raith Rovers anymore as they “don’t want to be associated with Raith Rovers anymore”.
Goodwillie has never expressed any remorse over the rape he had committed. His presence at Starks Park is a flaw for the club. I will also travel my pass. It breaks my heart and that of many other fans I know – added McDermid.
After the club announced the transfer, two sports directors left their jobs, as well as the employment specialist at the club foundation. The Prime Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, and the former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who is a huge fan of the club, also objected. – We are talking about a player who was found guilty of raping a woman by a civil court. As far as I know, he has never expressed any real regret or reflection. I think this is really harmful news, stressed Sturgeon.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
