to think that a professional football player who has recently been convicted of child sex offences should be bloody well sacked?

[MollysChamber]

Craig Thomson here

This is really making my blood boil. Horrible offences. Basically grooming of a 14 year old and a 12 year old he's known since she was a toddler ffs.

Today Hearts FC released a statement saying that they are not sacking him and he has made a half arsed statement apologising to the club, his family and friends, but not his victims, oh no.

Apparently the club were warned about his behaviour by a concerned parent 6 months before his arrest but he continued to represent them teaching PE at local schools here

Am I being unreasonable to think that he should be sacked?

Professional footballers don't play football in a vacuum.

Their contracts, their agents and their sponsorship deals all acknowledge this.

The fact that this man will be abused from the terraces for the rest of his career shows just how visible these players are, and how much they do differ from some other professions.

I can't see his club sticking by him to be honest.

Sadly MayorQ, you're probably right. Take Kate Moss as well - dropped faster than a rabid rattlesnake after the coke-sniffing thing, only to be re-acquired by other brands within a year, I think it was. :(
Shallow. Sign of the times. But then coke-sniffing isn't quite as morally reprehensible as paedophilia, is it? So maybe, just maybe, it would take a bit longer.

I like this bit from your link:
"Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the PFA, said that the PFA did not represent players when they have broken the law and been convicted on non-footballing matters." Good. Let's hope that still applies to this oik as well.

I agree with those who say he's a role model - he is, definately (maybe not as high profile as say a Rangers player, but still has a young fan base.)
DS1 for example idolises Criag Gordon,a nd although he doesn't ( to my knowledge) do any work with children, he is still a big hero in Ds1s eyes,a nd therefore should (and does)act accordingly and within the law

Seems that Hearts have now "suspended" him..... What's that all about? are they looking for a way out?

Musicians are different. Sex and drugs and rock n' roll and all that. Unless you are talking about a manufactured band deliberately marketed at children, I suppose. Am thankfully rather out of touch with them but a few years back if someone out of Steps had been convicted of a crime, you'd have expected them to be dropped.

yes dropped, but not legally prohibited from ever releasing another album

Can't seem to find it online but the Daily Record have interviewed the twelve year old girl and her mother (anonymously). Front page of the print edition.

They said
"Thomson was a close family friend who had known the girl for six years.
He bombarded her...with obscene messages over nine months.
...made sleazy comments about her appearance, tried to take her on drives and sent naked photos of himself..
The girl said "I used to see him around all the time. He was everywhere.
I would always put my head down or put sunglasses on to try and avoid him.
I just hated seeing him. I used to shake when I did.
He was always commenting on what I was wearing if I saw him."

I hope this puts things into perspective. Personally I think he has got off very very lightly. Now suspended by Hearts but that's too little to late for me.

I wonder if his punishment (from the court and the club) would have been the same if his victim had been a twelve year old boy?

Sexual harassment of a 12 year old girl certainly doesn't seem to be taken very serously.

"Sexual harassment of a 12 year old girl certainly doesn't seem to be taken very serously (sic)"

Especially by the dogs at the Daily Record.

fwiw, I think Hearst are in a very difficult position. The general public were not in court to hear all the evidence. If they sack him, where will he go? I'm not trying to defend the guy here, but there may be mitigating factors only he and those involved with the case know about, but sex crimes towards children is the ultiimate taboo in this country the public feel so strongly it seems untenable to keep him on.

A sad case, but surely only one outcome.

news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/14099136.stm
Hearts have said that he won't play for them again. Unclear as to the terms of his dismissal though. i.e. are they paying him off or simply looking to terminate his contract.

May not be able to terminate it in which case they will have him on gardening leave. Hope gardening is all he does with it.