Cautionary tale about just how much a "false" rape allegation can affect lives

[QuentinSummers]

Ched Evans set to sign with his old club, Sheffield United.

m.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39697804

Clearly the rape allegation has ruined his life. Career in tatters, reputation in shreds, no employer will touch him with a barge pole. Oh wait....

Justice has been done I suppose.

Actually it's complete BS he was a nothing footballer he was on his way up, he was in the 3rd division granted but the season before he was convicted he scored 35 goals ( which is a lot) for Sheffield and was being looked at by championship and even premiership clubs, he was also 22-23 which is still young, some players done develop until about 25-26 and have their best years 26-29. Sheffield are probably hoping he's had some time to get some match practice and are taking a risk he can rediscover that form, so those saying he was a nothing footballer and it's just to piss people off are letting their opinions of him cloud facts.

I still think this isn't a great example of false allegations don't hurt because( and I'm not saying it was false non guilty does not mean innocent):

• he actually went to prison for 2.5 years, then I believe on tag.
• his reputation is shot ( you have people defending him but in general he's seen as scummy)
• his career has been affected, going from possible lucrative premier league/ championship moves to Chesterfield and probably a relatively low salary ( for footballers ) at Sheffield as they're taking a risk on him

So It's not like he was accused and the next day returned to his normal life, also I believe people in the spotlight so celebrities/footballers etc live by different rules to Joe Bloggs down the street.

He was also a Welsh intenstional

I don't think anybody said he was a nothing footballer, just that he was nothing special - which is true.

The fact that he was being looked at by champ/prem clubs is irrelevant and I'm not sure what exactly you're trying to prove here? Wales aren't exactly a high flying international team and apart from Gareth Bale most of their players are average at best so I stand by my original stance that he was and is a very mediocre footballer (and a massive cunt to boot).

Anyway I genuinely couldn't give a fuck about his career. It doesn't take away from the fact that he is an utter scum bag and any back lash he has received is deserved. What he has been through is absolutely nothing compared to his victim who has essentially been hounded out of house and home for reporting a missing hand bag.

Ched Evans the convicted rapist (sue me) is a shite footballer
That's what I was replying and to say he was nothing special, sure he wouldn't have reached the upper echelons of football greatness but he could have been potentially a steady premier league striker. The Welsh team came 3rd in the Euro's and most their team is premiership/ championship with players coming from Liverpool, Arsenal , Crystal Palace so again not that bad, he is a mediocre football player now but has missed essentially his main developmental years due to the rape allegation ( not made by the woman). Besides he doesn't have to be Ronaldo level to play for Sheffield his record before he got convicted was essentially that of a lower level Ronaldo,

The point of my post was mostly to say that I don't believe this case is a good fit to show rape allegations don't harm men, as it clearly did affect his life in a major way and those in the public eye don't seem to be effected in the same way as normal people, but decided to also point out I felt people were being disingenuous about his career and his prospects.

And I don't think anyone disputed the woman has suffered but this thread wasn't about her but about him

Maybe he shouldn't enter hotel rooms uninvited and have his way with a woman who was too drunk to know which way was up. No sympathy from me, like I said what he's been through is nothing compared to what the victim has been through.

He is now able to go back to his career and earn thousands a week. Where is his victim now? Still in hiding, has had to start her life completely from scratch, possibly not even in the country anymore. He's had a walk in the park in comparison. If he hadn't acted like such an entitled idiot in the first place then non of this would have happened. This is all his fault.

Hungry Am I correct in assuming there are plenty of players SUFC could sign with the same (approx) ability?

Why him and why SUFC?
It feels like an endorsement or an apology.
Or did they really sign him on release and lend him to Chesterfield?
Was it silly wimmin making a fuss so he went there to let dust settle?

By his own actions and words he condemned himself, as we know.

I maintain that he is a shite footballer. I didn't say he wasn't a footballer, I acknowledge he does the job professionally. A shite painter still paints things.

Note that the Wales team came third without him , five years after he played for them, and eight years after he last scored for them (which was once).

Am I correct in assuming there are plenty of players SUFC could sign with the same (approx) ability?

Yes you are correct. He is nothing special and I have no idea why championship level clubs are interested when there are so many other options. The mind boggles.

And it goes without saying that you can play at the top level and still be a shit footballer. A few names spring to mind.

Black humour - I want to point out here as I share this that I have been raped while drunk

Fanny potentially not if he finds form again as players that can score that many goals in a division generally get snapped up by a higher division team. It's a gamble for them. There are rumours that he's been signing for Sheffield for a while and went on strike or something and won't play for chesterfield.

Delete again I don't think anyone's arguing the woman hasn't been affected but this thread was about ched and the consequence of false allegations, and whilst not saying this was a false allegation even if he's earning thousands a week the allegation has affected his life going to prison for 2 years and his career ( losing potentially millions) . Again not saying it was false or that the woman isn't suffering but the threads not about the woman and the title of the thread has mentioned false accusations and named this case

delete you actually think it's easy for these clubs to pick up a potentially 25+ goal a season striker for £500k

It has affected his life, clearly. But his life is not in tatters. His girlfriend and her family have sided with him. His previous employer has taken him back on again as soon as they could and he will have the opportunity to have a football career again. It's not the picture that many people like to paint of a broken man who is left unemployable with no friends/family support.

I don't suppose it says much for the world of football if they can't manage to find a player who doesn't carry such horrendous baggage with him. Clearly they don't give a shit about the bad publicity. Which is kind of weird, unless his behaviour is seen as normal, or just not that bad. Depressing thought, if you like football, surely?

But those in the public eye/ Entertainment etc aren't kept to the same standard and seem to garner more support

Exactly what Assasinated said.

When people talk about a mans life being 'ruined' because of a rape allegation (false or not) they paint the picture of a man being left destitute with no career/job prospects and no one around for support. That is not what has happened here clearly.

His life was affected for a short amount of time then he's been able to carry on as normal with the support of friends, family and most mind boggling of all his girlfriend. His life most certainly hasn't been ruined in the slightest.

His victim is the one who has had to bear the brunt of his actions and unfortunately that's not uncommon in rape cases.

Rape is the only crime in which people fall over themselves to defend the perpetrator and harass the victim to the point of her having to move numerous times. It's really fucking weird and disturbing.

Pooch the thing is if they do well it's literally worth 100s of millions the TV money in the premier league is ridiculous that even for small clubs sponsorship and gate receipts are not as significant .

And this is something else I find strange about it, yes he's a bit of cunt (morally if not legally) but in the premier league there's a player playing for Chelsea, who look like they are winning the league, who killed someone drink driving as there are others throughout the football pyramid for similar violent offences and they are left alone after getting leaner sentences

If CE starts playing well and scoring goals then the club will no doubt back him up to the hilt, and soon enough it will all be seen as not very important any more.

I think it's worth remembering that any negative attention based on CE's behaviour that night are entirely his own fault. He chose to act in certain ways. If he had chosen not to take advantage of the woman, and instead had helped her get home safely, how people react to him would probably be different.

Well, yes, still, certainly from a non football fans perspective, it seems like its a systemic problem, that there is nothing that these men can do (particularly but not exclusively to women) that is more important than their ball kicking ability. To me, that's wrong. CE is an illustration of a much bigger problem of a lack of accountability, that the money always outweighs the morals. But I think you're using that as a defence? I'm not sure if I'm reading your posts correctly.

To be honest I'm not quite sure if money beats morality, I'd say sometimes maybe siding with yes but I believe that in most big money industries at least in entertainment so actors/ singers etc ( which is why I don't think this example shows whether it would be damaging to an ordinary Joe ) and with football because I think generally there are so many clubs not just in England, but worldwide that there's always gonna be one that's desperate enough to take the heat and the first club was always going to be the hardest to get .

I don't think it's as widespread as most think, footballers are generally well behaved, as cases like CE and Adam Johnson did leave a big wave in the sport in this country as it's unheard of, unlike in other sports like the NFL where violent crimes are a lot more common and punished a lot less severely.

Whilst a lot less common I think people are more focused on CE because it got a lot of focus and it's a case people can get behind, thinking it's systemic but not having a big knowledge of other cases. I also think there's a misconception on football fans ideas as the majority have sided with the victim in the CE case from what I've seen and were astounded when Sunderland let Adam Johnson keep playing after he was charged.

It's weird I don't mean to defend CE but legally he's not done anything wrong so it's a moral issue and whilst I think it's morally wrong, it' easier to defend for a business and its not me making the decision and with millions at stake I can understand that they are willing to take the heat ( in a business sense) as football fans are fickle that if he does well fans won't treat him as badly, and the opposition is short lived from outside, as i understand it there wasn't much from outside football not long after he signed for chesterfield.

A bit of good news about the bloke in Brazil...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-39713328

Yeah that was horrific

This is the best thing I've seen on here for ages:

"You are forgetting that men have a great future ahead of them that will be ruined. Whereas women have a past that can be used against them."

Brilliant, thanks Beyond. I'm not sure what possessed them to release him, and the club signing him was appalling.