05 Jan 2015 17:50:02
Afternoon chaps, just wanted to know everyone's feelings regarding Ched Evans and his return to football. I live about 5 minutes from Boundary Park, have done since getting married, and have been to Oldham home games quite a few times when United haven't been playing. Personally, I think what he did was an absolute disgrace, and for that he was rightly punished, in line with the laws of the land, although it think rapists should be castrated along with the prison sentence. That said, I don't think he should be stopped from returning to football.
He should be allowed back but there should be certain agreements in place when he does. It should include things like voluntary work to raise awareness and show kids how wrong what he did was, possibly undergo some kind of counselling, maybe agree to donate a decent percentage of his income to rape victim charities etc. He earns a lot more than most people who have been found guilty of rape and is a well known figure, so he could be used to do good for charities and try to help prevent youngsters from doing what he did in the future.
I just don't see why every sponsor of a club should jump ship or threaten to, along with countless petitions and random celebrities spouting off every time his name is linked to a club, forcing said club to end their interest. If he had done what he did to my daughter, then he would now be missing something he holds very dear, but I don't feel that myself, as someone who doesn't know either him or the victim, should have any right to say what he can or can't do, and that should go for anyone else not related to the case aswell, in my eyes. He has the right to work in his chosen profession having done the time for his crime, whether we think the length of time he did was enough or not.
Just interested to hear others views. So far of the people I have talked to about it, I would say it is 50/50 on whether he should be allowed or not.