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Ched Evans Debate

Disappointing what it's taken for Oldham to pull out of the deal, they should have waited for the outcome of his appeal before even thinking about it. Also disappointed that some have resorted to threats against Oldham representatives to ensure this deal doesn't go through. The hypocrisy.

Searching Ched Evans and reading some people's tweets doesn't restore any of my faith in humanity. Once again, as with a lot of rape cases, the victim is made out to be the accused.

Seen rumours that a statement is due from him apologising to the girl he raped. If this is true, that's curtains for him. If you believed you were innocent you wouldn't apologise.

EDIT

A statement has been released but the surge in people wanting to read it has crashed the PFA website. I think he's apologised for the affects of what has happened following that night, but maintains his innocence.
 
He admits to having sex with a girl that a jury, after considering the evidence, found was unable to consent. The problem is he thinks it's ok, and is ok with his father in law running a website that sets out to find her and smear her, and trying to bribe Oldham. Worth noting that his appeal isn't about whether he did it or not, but whether what he did is illegal. It is illegal and rightly so. His last appeal was dismissed because he had nothing to prove the jury wrong.

Witnesses described her as being "extremely drunk", she is estimated to have been 2.5 times over the limit at the time, enough to impair decision making and long term memory, and wet the bed. She was clearly very drunk. She was raped, he's a rapist, and he's getting what he deserves.

Should he be allowed to play again? Yes. Are the threats to Oldham wrong? Yes. But that doesn't make what he did ok. He has a right to play again, not an entitlement.
 
The PFA wishes to clarify its position regarding Ched Evansfollowing recent media reports.

Our previous statements are set out below and our support for Ched remains the same.

We have had some discussions with Oldham Athletic regarding the interest they expressed in signing Ched, although we feel it is important to make clear that, contrary to what has been reported, we were not ‘driving’ any deal. As we understand it, the club and player were in discussions and contact was then made with the PFA as matters progressed given the particular circumstances of this situation and we were simply being asked to publicly reiterate our support for the club in signing him. Despite being ready to offer this from the outset, we were asked to delay whilst discussions between the club and player continued, and we were disappointed to see over the course of this week, comments being made which we feel mischaracterise our limited role in this matter.

The PFA’s position remains the same, as we have expressed previously, that any club which decides to sign him would receive our support.

We fully recognise that this is a delicate and emotive case and entirely respect that there are opposing views. However, we always felt it was important that Ched made some further comment regarding his current situation and on that basis, he has asked that we include his comments below:

“I am grateful for the support of the PFA in helping me try to return to football and continue my career.

Upon legal advice, I was told not to discuss the events in question. This silence has been misinterpreted as arrogance and I would like to state that this could not be further from the truth.

I do remain limited at present by what I can say due to the ongoing referral to the Criminal Cases Review Commission and whilst I continue to maintain my innocence, I wish to make it clear that I wholeheartedly apologise for the effects that night in Rhyl has had on many people, not least the woman concerned.

Finally, it has been claimed that those using social media in an abusive and vindictive way towards this woman are supporters of mine. I wish to make it clear that these people are not my supporters and I condemn their actions entirely and will continue to do so.”
Click to expand...
 
He's repugnant. Should have stayed quiet if he believes he's innocent, he's not sorry, he just wants a contract. Eventually, he'll admit it was rape, when he's got nothing left to lose.
 
I don't really care about what he has or hasn't done in the past that doesn't justify death threats to the family of someone offering him employment.
Personally I have my own views of what probably went on on that night in Rhyl but I also have to accept that I haven't seen all of the evidence and we all have to accept the verdict of the jury or the whole system crumbles.
He a rapist and that's that, should that stop him working again? No.
Lee Hughes killed somebody and he still came out to play again.

Footballers stopped being role models years ago when the money got so grotesquely out of control.
Today I could write down all of the role models in the sport on a postage stamp and still have room for the Queens Head.
 
Well he has apologised now finally - you can say he was forced into it or whatever and it was left late but at the end of the day I've said no one other than the jury knows the facts. So in this case I'm taking a leap of faith and believing he is sorry for the upset he has caused - despite maintaining his innocence with regards to rape. I personally would now have no objection to him returning to the game, however I still predict it will be impossible due to crowd reaction (if he even got as far as getting on the pitch - at least in the short term.

With regards to role models, it's not the phrase people mean. They mean that footballers are likely to be idolised by children, someone they DO look up to and often emulate - not someone they SHOULD look up to and emulate (that being the definition of idols and role models respectively). So I do understand what people mean when they say that sort of thing, but their language is weak.
 
How can he be sorry if he maintains he's innocent? The whole point of the rehabilitation process is to accept that what you did was wrong and learn from it, he hasn't done that because he believes he's innocent. The 'apology' is only because his career is (rightfully) in tatters, it shows no contrition.

Now he's blaming the 'mob rule'. Yet he has the Justice for Ched website which ultimately targets the victim.
 
He is basing his defence on the Gray area of consensual sex. I wonder what it means for him think that having intercourse with someone that is paralytic is ok. if they are so drunk they urinate themselves on a bed, it got to make you wonder if they are in their right mind at the time.
 
I don't get the "well, x player went back after doing y" argument. Just because it happened in the past, doesn't mean it has to carry on, the FA are well within their rights as a governing body to say that no club is allowed to hire people on the sex offenders register. Just like many other employees won't hire people with certain convictions, and maybe they should. Personally I'd find it horribly distasteful for crowds to sing his name and for kids to wear his name on kits and pretend to be him when they're playing football, so imagine how that would make the victim feel?

He is allowed to go back to playing, if a club wants to take the risk, it's on them, just like any other business that hires people who've committed serious crimes. They're a business, they'll weigh up what he can add to them and what they'd lose in sponsorships and admissions, and if they decide he is or isn't worth it, that's their choice. The FA are allowing him to sign, rightly or wrongly, so it's up to a club that doesn't mind employing an unrepentant rapist. And they'll have to deal with the consequences.

Cameron has come out with a typically classist suggestion, wanting him to do unpaid work, "yeah, stick him with the poor people on workfare, that'll sort him out." This is stupid. He's been given a sentence and is now allowed to find work. But he is not entitled to go into any specific job.

It's preposterous that he is being made out to be the victim. The threats to Oldham are awful, but what's worse, threats of rape, or the actual rape of a teenager, and the continued witch hunt against her, led by her attacker's father in law? It's his own fault, he brought this all upon himself and I have no sympathy, if he just decided to stay in and not cheat on his fiance with a girl who was clearly out of it, he'd still be a not particularly well known footballer with a clean criminal record at a respectable club. Instead, he's unemployed, on the register, and a woman's life has been ruined before she even reached 20.
 
He's apologised for the effects of what he believes to be consensual sex. He has a right to maintain his innocence in terms of rape if he chooses. The problem I and many others had was when he hadn't apologised or condemned the fallout of people sending threats etc.

I don't believe he should have been prevented by the FA from playing, but I did tink that he deserved to be given a hard time on the pitch and have people protest against his new club etc. But never actually prevented from playing.

Now that he has apologised, even if it is late and possibly teh result of being encouraged to do so, a gap has been filled in my view. People would still give him a hard time on the pitch and you can possibly say rightly so - but I would not personally boo him until the case is closed off once and for all.

Also with regards to the other convict footballers, all apart from King (possibly) have expressed remorse and/or pleaded guilty. So that is a completely different issue.

Finally, for those not aware - you don't get paid millions, get watche dby millions or have your poster on the wall of millions by playing for Oldham - as some people have suggested. Yes, their players may still be icons on a smaller/local scale, but let's not over exaggerate the national effects here.
 
Unless this evidence shows he was under the influence of pervert mind control robots from Mars, or the people reviewing it are stupid, it's not going to make a difference.

Ched Evans turned up, raped a very drunk teenager and had his mates film it. He's a rapist.
 
Well we won't know what the new evidence is till after the retrial

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Not even grateful a team actually took him on. Doesn't deserve to have a career full stop, nevermind getting the chance to kick a ball around a pitch again.
 
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