David Goodwillie will not play for Raith Rovers
(Picture: PA)Raith Rovers have performed a U-turn over David Goodwillie and confirmed the striker will not play for the club following the backlash over his controversial signing.
The signing of Goodwillie, who was found by a civil court in 2017 to have raped a woman, prompted anger and disgust from supporters.
It also led to a string of resignations of senior Raith officials and author Val McDermid withdrew her shirt sponsorship of the club.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called on Raith, who play in the Scottish Championship, to rethink the signing and said football clubs have a responsibility to provide positive role models.
Raith insisted on Tuesday that the signing was “a football-related decision”.
But they have now said they “got it wrong”, apologised “wholeheartedly” and said the 32-year-old will not be selected. They will now “enter into discussions with the player regarding his contractual position”.
Raith chairman John Sim says the club focused too much on football and not on the opinion of supporters.
In a statement, Raith said: “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.”
