On his first night playing for Radcliffe FC on Tuesday, David Goodwillie scored a hat trick, but the non-league team neglected to make any public announcement about his arrival.
In a legal lawsuit that took place in 2017, a judge found that Goodwillie had committed the act of rape and ordered him to pay a total of £100,000 in damages. Although Goodwillie and colleague footballer David Robertson were not charged with any crimes, it was determined in Scotland’s first civil action of its sort that Goodwillie had raped a lady in a flat in West Lothian in 2011.
The player, who was 33 years old at the time, was let go by Raith Rovers in September after receiving much criticism regarding his job at the club. The Scottish club was subjected to harsh criticism from supporters, Rape Crisis Scotland, and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who led to the resignation of board members and the withdrawal of sponsors.
In November, Goodwillie was given a trial with Livingston United and played one game for them before being released again.
However, it looks that he has now found a new team to play for. On Tuesday night, Radcliffe, who compete in the Northern Premier League, posted their teamsheet for a game against Belper Town on Twitter. Goodwillie’s name was included on the roster, despite the fact that the club had not yet made an official announcement regarding his signing with the team.
After the break, he went on to score three times for Radcliffe, helping them to a 4-2 victory and extending their winning streak in the league to six matches without a loss. Mirror Football has attempted to get in touch with Radcliffe to inquire about Goodwillie but has not yet gotten a response to their inquiry.
According to reports, Goodwillie has agreed to work with Radcliffe on a contract for a limited amount of time. In spite of the fact that he was accused of rape in 2011, the case against him was dropped because prosecutors claimed there was insufficient evidence. However, the decision of a following civil action that took place six years later was very different.
In contrast to criminal procedures, where proof must be established beyond all shadow of a doubt, the burden of proof in civil cases rests on whether or not the evidence supports a conclusion more likely than not.
On the very last day of the transfer window in January 2022, Raith Rovers completed the acquisition of Goodwillie from Clyde. The terms of the transaction were for two and a half years. He was never used by the club and was eventually let go after a fierce response, which caused the chairman of the club, John Sim, to issue an apology for the decision. He never played for the team.
In a statement, he 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.” “I want to apologise wholeheartedly to our fans, sponsors, players, and the wider Raith Rovers community for the anguish and anger caused over.”
“We did not do it correctly. When we first made our decision, we placed an excessive amount of emphasis on football-related issues and not nearly enough on the implications that this choice would have on our club and the community as a whole.”