David Goodwillie reaction: Raith Rovers chairman statement as club admits ‘we got it wrong’ and fans’ response

Raith Rovers signed David Goodwillie from Clyde on the January transfer window deadline day which was met by severe backlash from staff and fans.

In 2017, the court ruled Goodwillie and his former teammate David Robertson to have raped a 24-year-old woman six years earlier.

Following the arrival of Goodwillie, Raith Rovers put out a statement defending the signing - claiming it was a ‘football related decision’.

However, the continued criticism has led making a dramatic U-turn and have now admitted that they ‘got it wrong’.

In a statement by Rovers’ chairman published on Thursday morning, John Sim said: “I firstly want to apologise wholeheartedly to our fans, sponsors, players and the wider Raith Rovers community for the anguish and anger caused over the past few days.

We got it wrong.

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.

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.

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.”

Fan reaction

While most of the Raith Rovers fanbase were relieved by Goodwillie’s speedy departure, the length of time it took for the club to come to the correct decision still angered many.

Here is how some fans reacted to the statement...

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