Raith Rovers DROP rapist David Goodwillie: Scottish club says it is ‘in discussions’ to end contract

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Raith Rovers will not play David Goodwillie and are now in discussions over ending his contract after a furious backlash against signing the striker.

The Scottish Championship club have been heavily criticised since bringing the 32-year-old to the club on the last day of the transfer window earlier this week.

Goodwillie escaped criminal prosecution alongside then Dundee United team-mate David Robertson after they were accused of rape in 2011.

But their victim successfully claimed £100,000 from them in a civil action at the Court of Session in 2017 after a judge ruled they had raped her.

Yesterday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called on Scottish football to step in and take action against Raith Rovers but now the club have admitted they ‘got it wrong’.

In a statement on behalf of their chairman, John Sim, they said: ‘I firstly want to apologise wholeheartedly to our fans, sponsors, players and the wider Raith Rovers community for the anguish and anger caused over the past few days. We got it wrong.

‘In reaching our original decision, we focused far too much on football matters and not enough on what this decision would mean for our club and the community as a whole.

‘Over the past couple of days, we listened carefully to the fans who have got in touch and I’m very grateful for their honesty.

‘As chairman, as a board and as a management team, we have all learned a hard but valuable lesson.

‘This very unfortunate episode is something that we all bitterly regret and we are now wholly committed to making things right. 

‘I can therefore confirm that, following a meeting of the Raith Rovers board, the player will not be selected by Raith Rovers and we will enter into discussions with the player regarding his contractual position.

‘We share a desire to do what is best for our club and will be doing everything in our power to regain the trust and confidence of the Raith Rovers family.’  

It comes after the boss of Scottish Women’s Football (SWF) yesterday warned the club’s signing of Goodwillie would have ‘devastating consequences’ for females in the sport and the club has ‘tarnished its reputation’.

Tyler Rattray, captain of Raith’s women’s team, also quit in protest, while former Prime Minister and fan Gordon Brown made clear he does ‘not support’ Goodwillie’s signing.

Val McDermid, the best-selling Scottish crime writer who had been a lifelong fan and a key financial backer for the Kirkcaldy club, also withdrew her support.

Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon backed their decisions yesterday. She wrote on Twitter: ‘The stances that Val McDermid and women’s team captain Tyler Rattray have taken are principled — though difficult for both of them.

‘But the fact they’re in this position at all reminds us that our society still has a way to go to make zero tolerance of sexual violence a reality.’

Yesterday, SWF chief executive Aileen Campbell described the signing as a ‘badly misjudged’ decision.  

She told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme the move ‘sends the wrong signal, message, to society and particularly to women’.

Ms Campbell added: ‘The fact that the women’s club has lost its captain as a result of this is devastating, that would be a devastating consequence to lose women from the game as a result of this poor decision.’

SWF has also ‘offered support to the women’s club and the women’s team to make sure we can help them through this’, she said. 

An online petition has been set up calling for the player to be removed from the club and to “ensure that future signing decisions can continue to be family-friendly”.

Goodwillie was ordered to pay damages alongside now retired footballer David Robertson. No charges were brought against either of the pair.

In a statement defending the move, Raith insisted the signing was ‘first and foremost… a football related decision’.

It added that Goodwillie was a ‘proven goal scorer’ who would ‘strengthen the playing quad’.

However, Ms Campbell said: ‘We can’t shy away from the fact it is a privilege to work in football and football has real influence and sway, particularly over young fans, and that is why this decision feels poor.

‘It does have impact. We can concentrate on the actions on the pitch, but we can’t shy away from the fact that football has huge influence off the pitch as well.

‘We should endeavour to make sure that influence is a positive one.’

She also lent her support to McDermid and Rattray, adding ‘society doesn’t want to accept violence against women’.

Asked about her view on the football club, Ms Campbell added: ‘Given they have lost the support of high-profile fans, Val McDermid, that they have lost the captain of the women’s team, they have lost volunteers, they have lost fans, they have lost staff, they really do need to think about whether this has been worth it.

‘It is a badly misjudged decision by the club and we as an organisation are particularly concerned about losing more women from the game, a game we have worked so hard to try to build up and to encourage more girls and women to try to take part in, that would be a devastating consequence of this.’

She said the club must think about how they have ‘tarnished their reputation’ after losing ‘some significant supporters’.

Rovers boss John McGlynn insisted Goodwillie missed Tuesday night’s 3-3 home draw with Queen of the South due to a slight hamstring injury. And he failed to get involved in the off-the-field reaction to the former Scotland striker’s signing.  

Asked if there were any regrets given the backlash, or if the club would rethink their position in the face of protests from fans and sponsors, he told BBC Sportsound: ‘The club have made a statement. They’ve come out and put their position for everyone to see. 

‘The club have said they’ve taken consideration to make this. We didn’t wake up yesterday morning and just decide we were going to do this.’

McDermid had been a lifelong fan of Raith, providing the club with significant financial backing over the years. She had initially made her stance clear back in December when she warned the club against signing Goodwillie.

But it fell on deaf ears as the Championship club pressed on and signed the striker from League One Clyde.

McDermid wrote on Twitter: ‘I have this morning ended my lifelong support of @RaithRovers over their signing of the rapist David Goodwillie. I have cancelled next season’s shirt sponsorship over this disgusting and despicable move. This shatters any claim to be a community or family club.

‘Goodwillie has never expressed a shred of remorse for the rape he committed. His presence at Stark’s Park is a stain on the club. I’ll be tearing up my season ticket too. This is a heartbreaker for me and many other fans I know.

‘The thought of the rapist David Goodwillie running out on the pitch at Stark’s Park in a @RaithRovers shirt with my name on it makes me feel physically sick.’

Rattray then announced that she had ended her 10-year association with the club. She Tweeted: ‘After 10 long years playing for Raith, it’s gutting I have given up now because they have signed someone like this and I want nothing to do with it! It was good being captain of Raith while it lasted.’

Robertson also announced she had resigned, saying: ‘Due to recent developments within the club I have today tendered my resignation. My values and that of the club are now on a divergent path.’

Ex-Labour leader Brown said: ‘I have always supported Raith Rovers but I cannot support this signing. I condemn rape and all violence against women. Because of the number of recent examples across football, I urge the football authorities to set out a policy to address cases of violence like this.’

Yesterday Raith issued a defiant statement which outlined their intention to stand by Goodwillie — arguing that it was a ‘football-related decision’ to sign him.

Their statement read: ‘As with all new signings, the club has carefully considered our position as a community club and we completely respect the differing views among fans and stakeholders, many of whom we have spoken to directly in the past 24 hours and are continuing to engage with.

‘Please be assured that as a community football club we fully acknowledge this signing has divided opinion amongst our loyal fans and commercial stakeholders; We aim to rebuild that trust.

‘While acknowledging the gravity of what happened ten years ago, as a club we fully support and encourage rehabilitation, and many factors influenced our signing.

‘First and foremost, this was a football-related decision.’