No he is not being punished twice or treated differently to many other professions.
I am a teacher and a teacher would never be allowed to teach again- quite rightly - if they were convicted of rape or were any kind of sex offender.
Why should he be put back in a position of privilege and where he is idolised and hero- worshipped by young men in particular. They copy ever aspect of footballer's behaviours.
We have 3 ex- students who have become professional footballers with varying degrees of success. Each of them has been signed onto the youth books of clubs and become arrogant, sneering and disrespectful of women while they were still at school, lied, expected to get away with anything they chose to do and traeted anyone who stood in their way as rubbish- particularly if that person was female.
Each club , when they signed them up, went through a farce of asking the school to sign the document too and promised they would support us to make sure they were excellent role models, asked us to contact them if the boy did not get things right in terms of behaviour or academic effort, told us they would get a warning and then would be off their books if they did not do the right thing. It never happened. They never supported us with any of them. 3 professional football clubs who were not prepared to take any of their promised action to support us- two are premier league and one is First Division.
Interestingly, the biggest liar and nastiest of the boys is the only one still playing - in the premier league. He lied about assaulting his girlfriend - he smashed an egg off her head and punched her in the face at lunchtime. She ran back to school sobbing, covered in raw egg and with a bruised face. We know he did it as he was seen by his mother who told us and then changed her story when we called the police and he threatened her.
None of them worked academically once they were signed onto the clubs' books - and the clubs didn't give a toss as lng as the football was up to it. These boys just believe they will be the next David Beckham or whoever. But when the clubs dumped the other two once they didn't hack it with football standards, there was no support for them then from the club either. They were just turned out and returned to the north- east with nothing and no qualifications.
Football clubs are about money. If they can make money from a player they couldn't care less about morality or the players' behaviour. Once they can't make money from them they dump them. Rapists, drunken drivers who kill pedestrians, shoplifters, serial adulterers, men who beat women- none of it will stop a club signing a player if they think they can earn money from them. Oldham already have a player found guilty of death by dangerous driving. Another club is owned by a convicted rapist and his son - can't remember which club.
As a society, we have created the monster of the professional football club. The shame is on us as well as them. Those Oldham fans complaining now- how many will protest by getting rid of their season ticket if he is signed? Very few. They will go to the matches and cheer him on and off the pitch and every time he touches the ball. It is shamful what we allow in the name of professional football.
Gordon Taylor of the PFA says 'He wants to play football again' as if that means he should get what he wants. What Gordon Taylor should be saying is ' There is no room for rapists and criminals in the world of professional football. It is a privilege to be a role model and part of a professional football team and we are only accepting those players who set themselves the highest standards.' What he actually says- although not in these words is 'Do what you like lads. If we can earn money from you, we'll have you. We don't care if you rape or assault women'.
Shame, shame, shame on him, on Ched Evans and on Oldham.