Ched Evans

[El Dangerous]

He had sex with someone whilst they were unconscious, it's not like he BIT ANOTHER PLAYER!

[SammyAftershave]

Well if a repeat offender like Marlon King (even though it wasn't the same offence as Evans) keeps getting gigs at lower league clubs...

 

Maybe a club will give them both a break and use one as an out and out attacker while the other plays off his shoulder in the hole, occasionally making runs around the back and stretching the defence.

[Lario]

That's fair enough, but he has been convicted and I think Sheff Utd should take his lack of remorse into account. I should emphasise that I don't think there should be laws or rules preventing footballers convicted of crimes from resuming their career, just that a club should take into account any remorse (or lack of it) when considering whether to re-employ them.

 

Lack of remorse when drink driving and killing someone, yeah it should be taken into account.

One word against another while organising an appeal, not a hope.

 

To make a crass comparison....OJ was found not guilty. If he happened to play football and it was a choice between him or Evans, who should get the job? Neither isn't an option!

[deiseach]

Lack of remorse when drink driving and killing someone, yeah it should be taken into account.

One word against another while organising an appeal, not a hope.

 

To make a crass comparison....OJ was found not guilty. If he happened to play football and it was a choice between him or Evans, who should get the job? Neither isn't an option!

 

Is your hypothetical OJ as good at proper football as he was at the American version?

[Boss]

He absolutely should be allowed to play again. The people I see in the press saying he shouldn’t, I always thing are passing opinion without looking at the end game.  I’m (possibly wrongly) assuming this Evans lad has been a footballer all his junior life and so has no other skills.  So what’s the alternative?  He sits on the dole?  Possibly ends up going into crime to earn money?  Not letting the guy work in something he is skilled in and can immediately contribute to society in just seems utterly daft.  I’d understand if he was a paedophile who was looking to go back working in a crèche.  But this surely has to be treated as a positive case of a fella serving his sentence and then giving a positive contribution to society through hopefully not re-offending and paying tax?

 

If he was a convicted pedophile would you be okay with him coming back?

 

Just playing devils advocate.

[Phoenix]

Of course he didn't because he still believes he's innocent. Which is why he's planning to appeal next year. Surely you'd keep your head down if you were guilty?

 

I know if I didn't rape someone, but got put in jail for it anyway, I'd be having no remorse either.

 

If you have money, you will appeal until the cows come home. Especially when the conviction is going to have an effect on future earnings like his.

 

Why are you so sure he didnt rape her?

[El Dangerous]

There were witness testimonies to corroborate the victims account. It's so hard to get a conviction in these cases that when they do I tend to think there must be something in it. Not that it's 100% one way or the other. It's probably best for these young men to develop a decent moral compass and not go spit roasting pissed up young girls who aren't in complete control of their senses. Works both ways too.

[JohnnyH]

If he was a convicted pedophile would you be okay with him coming back?

 

Just playing devils advocate.

I'd certainly want to keep him away from the under 9's.

 

I appreciate what you're saying. Such a crime is rightly abhorrent to society and so we probably wouldn't want to see him doing a knee slide in front of the kop. If he had raped a child then he shouldn't be out in time for it to be an issue. But if he was caught looking at kiddie pics and served a year or something then I'd think he was a horrible prick, but I'd not actively look to stop him playing. But having said that I wouldn't want him at liverpool. Its a difficult question as its the extreme. Even murder is looked on as less of a crime than being a convicted paedophile

[Gym Beglin]

I don't think he should be allowed to play professional football, fundamentally because he's shit at football.

 

It's no wonder there's such uproar about this, because nobody wants to pay £80 for a set of tickets to watch a footballer with the touch of a rapist at the best of times, but to see a rapist with the touch of a rapist is just totally fleecing the punters.

[deiseach]

I don't think he should be allowed to play professional football, fundamentally because he's shit at football.

 

It's no wonder there's such uproar about this, because nobody wants to pay £80 for a set of tickets to watch a footballer with the touch of a rapist at the best of times, but to see a rapist with the touch of a rapist is just totally fleecing the punters.

 

I laughed. I'm going to Hell.

[Section_31]

See where people are coming from in terms of him having served his sentence etc, but it doesn't sit right with me. Football, and sport in general, is more than just a job, like it or not you're a role model to people - especially kids. You're rewarded exceptionally well and part of the price you have to pay for that IMO is accept that there are certain standards you should have to uphold when you're in the public eye. The amount of money he will earn too, doesn't sit right. Think the whole things sends the wrong message - if you're good enough and we can get some goals out of you - then all is forgiven.

[Anubis]

Because you have been found guilty doesnt always mean you are. 

 

True. But rape has one of the lowest conviction rates of any offence because juries tend to exercise their duty very carefully. Which suggests the jury were convinced he was guilty.

 

As an aside, the jury system is much fairer than trial by magistrates.

[deiseach]

Think the whole things sends the wrong message - if you're good enough and we can get some goals out of you - then all is forgiven.

 

Gee, that doesn't apply to anyone who has been knocking around Anfield in recent years, does it?

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

He committed a criminal offence. Since as long as I can remember (with a few exceptions)the usual punishment for committing a crime is a prison sentence. He's served his.

 

Having your ability to seek employment in a profession of your choice isn't (generally) punishment for committing a criminal offence. Even for the most abhorrent of crimes.

 

So, of course he should be allowed to work as a professional footballer again.

 

Whether it's within the moral compass of a club to employ him is a different issue altogether though.

[Anubis]

Having served his sentence he's free to pursue a football career. It's really down to Sheffield Wednesday and their fans to decide if they want him. Opposition fans will see to the stigma aspect - the "She Said No" song beckons.

[Hand Shandy]

Having served his sentence he's free to pursue a football career. It's really down to Sheffield Wednesday and their fans to decide if they want him. Opposition fans will see to the stigma aspect - the "She Said No" song beckons.

It's Sheffield United, not Wednesday.

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

He committed a criminal offence. Since as long as I can remember (with a few exceptions)the usual punishment for committing a crime is a prison sentence. He's served his.

 

Having your ability to seek employment in a profession of your choice removed isn't (generally) punishment for committing a criminal offence. Even for the most abhorrent of crimes.

 

So, of course he should be allowed to work as a professional footballer again.

 

Whether it's within the moral compass of a club to employ him is a different issue altogether though.

[Anubis]

It's Sheffield United, not Wednesday.

 

Ta.

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

That was meant to be an edit, not a quote.

 

This fucking phone!

[Strontium]

If a club I supported signed a convicted rapist, I would find it very hard to keep supporting them, especially in light of a continued refusal to admit wrongdoing. I don't think you want people like that in the game.

[Jairzinho]

I'm in the position of thinking "well, he's done his time", but also (if he was good enough) wouldn't want him anywhere near the club I support.

 

What tends to happen with other professions that are in the spotlight? Pop stars, etc.

[Section_31]

If a club I supported signed a convicted rapist, I would find it very hard to keep supporting them, especially in light of a continued refusal to admit wrongdoing. I don't think you want people like that in the game.

The idea of Bowyer was bad enough, the Man Dingo-bating Benjamin Button-faced motherfucker.

[Boss]

It's just interesting to me that footballers and rape charges are so common place that they get treated almost nonchalantly like it isn't even that big a deal. We've all heard of the hotel rape scandal's and the super injunctions that have kept these cases shrouded in mystery.

 

It's almost as if something like racism is much more detrimental to your public image as a footballer than raping someone is. If you say something racist you lose your captaincy, your hung out to dry like Suarez (without proof), but if you commit the worst physical violation of another human being it's okay because it's just his word against someone else's, "he's a good kid, he wouldn't do that" and so forth.

 

Bizarre that the whole moral compass of football is so askew that a racist word warrants 24/7 coverage with a Black players association soundbite for every occasion, yet rape is largely ignored "well he's served his time, what's he going to do?".

 

I don't know whether it's an issue of female objectification or a wider issue of a deep lying cultural misogyny, either way it's bizarre to me.

[El Dangerous]

I'm in the position of thinking "well, he's done his time", but also (if he was good enough) wouldn't want him anywhere near the club I support.

 

What tends to happen with other professions that are in the spotlight? Pop stars, etc.

People love Mike Tyson.

[Boss]

People love Mike Tyson.

 

People still think Michael Jackson wasn't a pedo.