Raith Rovers' regret over signing David Goodwillie should be expressed in a tangible way – Scotsman comment

It is welcome news that Raith Rovers FC has finally come to its senses over the signing of David Goodwillie, who in 2017 was found by a civil court to have raped a woman in a flat in Armadale, West Lothian, in 2011.

Football clubs are important assets to the communities they represent and we should be thankful that we live in a country where there is sufficient connection between fans and the teams they support that their outrage and disgust over such a decision was able to have a real effect.

However, Raith still has a long way to go to put things right and demonstrate conclusively to the wider world that their apology was indeed “wholehearted” and their admission that they “got it wrong” was more than simply a pragmatic, some might say cynical, recognition that the scale of the public backlash was too great.

The club needs to show genuine contrition in a public and tangible way.

And in a statement, Raith’s chairman John Sim suggested they recognise the need for a process. “We share a desire to do what is best for our club and will be doing everything in our power to regain the trust and confidence of the Raith Rovers family,” he said.

Football in general has long been associated with sexist attitudes. Raith Rovers FC now has a very good reason to become a beacon of equality in the Scottish game.

If they make this their mission, they might be able to find something positive in what has been a decidedly sorry affair.