Ched Evans allowed back

[juliascurr]

www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/ched-evans-sheffield-united-striker-to-return-to-club-after-rape-sentence-despite-petition-garnering-60000-signatures-against-him-9666380.html

really bad news

[Floccinaucinihilipilificate]

Urgh. Horrible news. Also, that article does its best to suggest his conviction wasn't right. Urgh all round.

[Floccinaucinihilipilificate]

It's not confirmed by the club though, it's just a supporters group saying they've been told - no idea how definite that makes it.

[TheGoop]

This is a slightly old article too - so not a 'new' revelation.

[weatherall]

Wtf!

F ing disgraceful.

I hope there are boycotts/protests.

[DoctorTwo]

It sends out the wrong message to all our children. To girls, it says they're worthless, to boys, that they will face no real punishment if they rape. It is IMO a really bad decision. I really hope they change their mind.

[CharethCutestory]

Petition to Kevin McCabe, chairman of the club here

"Refuse to reinstate Ched Evans as a player at Sheffield United."

[KateeGee]

Judy Finnigan describes this rape as "not violent" and "did not cause bodily harm"

She has said what Ched Evans did was "unpleasant" and, perhaps I am reading her comments wrong, but somehow mitigated by the fact that his victim was drunk and in a hotel room.

www.theguardian.com/football/2014/oct/13/judy-finnigan-ched-evans-no-bodily-harm

Christ.

[Anniegetyourgun]

Hey, everybody knows it's only rape if it happens outdoors. And it's only serious if there are weapons involved.

[EElisavetaofBelsornia]

Wow, rape isn't violent and doesn't cause bodily harm? Thanks Judy for clarifying, now we know that we can all feel a lot safer.

[cadno]

If it had been violent with actual bodily harm, then the sentence would have been heavier, I suppose ?

[KateeGee]

Every rape is violent, it's a violent crime.

If there were other aggravating factors there may have been a heavier sentence.

[PetulaGordino]

rape is an act of violence

[grimbletart]

Can someone explain to me what a non-violent rape is? One of the definitions of violent is "to use physical force" Oxford English Dicitionary. How do you have sex with a non-consenting or unconscious person without using physical force? Surely we don't have to go into explicit detail here to illustrate how you penetrate someone who is unconscious or non-consenting?

It's time we stopped accepting that there is such a thing as non-violent rape.

[Panthingies]

[Nojacketrequired]

I am a man, and a football fan. We were discussing Evans recently on a fans website, where most of the participants are male. The overwhelming consensus was that he should not be restricted in his future career. However, as fans we did not want him at our club. The ideal outcome would be that he was not given a new lucrative contract anywhere.

This wasn't driven just by the nature of the crime though. It's the fact that he appears to show no remorse whatsoever. No apology, no attempts to atone for his crime. Rich sportsmen are surrounded by sycophants and parasites making money off the back of their talent, and I very much doubt that anyone around him has told him that expressing true sorrow for his crime would be the right thing to do. Bad for the image.

[PuffinsAreFicticious]

No jacket. Is it all rapists that you and your forum mates think should be able to walk back to their jobs? Rapist nurses? Rapist teachers? Rapist bus drivers? Or is it just rapist football players who get a special card?

Evans shows no remorse because he thinks he is the victim of an unconscious woman. He doesn't believe he raped anyone. Nor does the guy who procured the girl for him, or the 2 men who recorded it on their phones.

Once again. Ched Evans is a rapist.

[HaroldsBishop]

Puffins did you even read his post?

[Panthingies]

I think we were aware of CE's status as a rapist some while back.

It's a point tho' about re-integration. Should electricians be allowed to return to sparking, etc. Probably, as long as they present no further or on-going threat - very tricky to assess and manage. But suggesting rapists should not be allowed to return to their, or any, occupation is unsustainable.

[thedancingbear]

To be fair Puffins, you do seem to have got as far as 'I am a man' and gone on the offensive here. That's not what feminism's about, is it?

[PetulaGordino]

i don't think rapists should be precluded from earning a living once they have served their sentence, if people are prepared to employ them. but i don't they they (or any other violent criminal) should be entitled to return to any profession either. as puffin says they would not be entitled to return to teaching. i know there have been arguments back and forth about whether football is one of those professions. i think it is given its status and influence in our society as it is currently. football clubs and governing bodies need to get their houses in order, because currently they are condoning misogynist, violent, racist and homophobic behaviour across the board. but i doubt they will do anything unless fans and sponsors take the issue seriously and vote with their feet (and wallets)

[slug]

I think this article put it well It's all about the menz...yet again.

[Lottapianos]

Really good article slug, thanks for sharing. Women are certainly not worth very much to a lot of people, dead or alive

[EElisavetaofBelsornia]

There are legal systems which prevent convicted sex offenders from entering or re-entering certain professions. This is from a risk management point of view, and from this perspective football is fine as a career, he won't have unsupervised access to women and girls. What this thread is discussing is a moral objection to Evans returning to his job, because of the way footballers are lauded and treated as heroes by their fans, and the ridiculous pay it receives.

I don't think the justice system can get involved in the ethical side, because of the massive levels of subjectivity involved in deciding which types of very low risk employment are ruled out for reasons unrelated to risk of re-offending or risk of harm to others. Unfortunately that leaves the decision down to either the particular employer - and Sheffield United are clearly at least considering re-engaging Evans - or its overseeing body. Which in the case of football is run by men, and men who have been demonstrated to be taking very limited action to address misogyny, homophobia and racism. I have signed the petition because with the current situation as it is I feel it is entirely justified to make an example of Evans. Football needs to show its own repugnance - it needs to take a moral stance.

For what it's worth, denial is totally normal for offenders in Evans' situation, especially with the added element of being in the public eye. I would be wary of the genuineness of any admission at this stage. But he will be on the Sex Offender register and have to comply with its requirements, even after his sentence ends.