Scottish club Raith Rovers say striker who was ruled to have been a rapist by a judge in a civil case will not be selected days after announcing signing

By Ben Morse, CNN

Updated 1437 GMT (2237 HKT) February 3, 2022

David Goodwillie warms up for a game on May 6, 2021, while he played for Clyde.

(CNN)Scottish club Raith Rovers have apologized and said that striker David Goodwillie will not play for it just days after announcing his signing.

Raith announced the signing of Goodwillie on Monday, a decision which was criticized heavily by supporters, as well as by Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. In a statement released on behalf of the board of the club on Thursday, chairman John Sim said: «We got it wrong.»«This very unfortunate episode is something that we all bitterly regret, and we are now wholly committed to making things right. I can therefore confirm that, following a meeting of the Raith Rovers board, the player will not be selected by Raith Rovers and we will enter into discussions with the player regarding his contractual position.»In 2017, Goodwillie was ruled by a civil court judge to have raped a woman along with a former teammate, David Robertson. Goodwillie had been with Clyde and other teams since the 2011 incident. Read More«I firstly want to apologize wholeheartedly to our fans, sponsors, players and the wider Raith Rovers community for the anguish and anger caused over the past few days,» Sim said in the statement. «In reaching our original decision, we focused far too much on football matters and not enough on what this decision would mean for our club and the community as a whole. »Over the past couple of days, we listened carefully to the fans who have got in touch and I'm very grateful for their honesty. As chairman, as a board and as a management team, we have all learned a hard but valuable lesson. «We share a desire to do what is best for our