Scottish team drops rapist player after intervention from bestselling author

Scottish football team Raith Rovers have dropped a player found guilty of rape after the withdrawal of funding from bestselling author Val McDermid.

McDermid, who is known for her prominence as a crime writer, said she felt "physically sick" over the signing of David Goodwillie and would stop her sponsorship of the team, of whom she is a long-time supporter.

Goodwillie, a 32-year-old former Scotland international, was ordered to pay damages of £100,000 (€119,000) to a woman he raped by an Edinburgh court judge in 2017.

2/2 Goodwillie has never expressed a shred of remorse for the rape he committed. His presence at Starks Park is a stain on the club. I’ll be tearing up my season ticket too. This is a heartbreaker for me and many other fans, I know.

The multi-million selling author of the 'Dr. Tony Hill' series described second division club Raith Rovers' decision to sign David Goodwillie on January 31 as a "disgusting and despicable" move that "shatters any claim to be a community or family club."

Raith Rovers have a stand named after McDermid and her name adorns the front of their football shirts.

In a statement on released today Raith Rovers apologised and said they had made a mistake.

"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," read the statement, issued by the Chairman of the Raith Rovers board.

"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," it continued.

McDermid was not the only person to denounce the design to signing