Ancient Colin wrote: ↑Sat Jul 13, 2019 9:48 am
This is a useful summing up of some of the key issues, along with some very unedifying details.
That is indeed a very helpful link. Thanks Colin.
The courts are not a moral arbiter as someone suggested. They decide on points of law. Law and morality are not the same thing, not by a long way. Law is about attempting to prove evidential facts and comparing them with the rules of society the demand penalty for failure to comply. Morality is personal judgement of circumstances.
I would hope most, if not all, of us would deride and chastise the morality of a man that takes advantage of a woman in at least dubious circumstances.
As the barrister made clear, the legal case of Ched Evans shows him neither to be guilty, nor innocent. It shows him to be not guilty beyond reasonable doubt. There is a presumption of innocence in not guilty verdicts, but not a proving of innocence. It is a shame we do not have the Scottish verdict of unproven, to provide a greater ability to distinguish between innocence and uncertainty.
Given the number of women within the environment of the club, not least of which will be the various women's teams, the question for OUFC is a moral and safety one:
Do Ched Evans known previous activities give rise to a concern with regards to those employed within the club? If the answer to that is yes, then he should not be signed as an OUFC player.
Would Ched Evans known previous activities bring the club into disrepute? Again, if yes, he should not be signed.
Would his signing be detrimental to the expansion of the women's game within OUFC? If yes, the club would need to think long and hard about the decision. Is one (replaceable) player's value to the team greater than the longer term value of the development of women's football?
There are a lot of serious questions, that require outcomes that are difficult to achieve, in order to favour such a signing. Is Ched Evans the only player capable of scoring goals who is available to us?
I still find myself doubting the grounds for such a signing.