The Saga of the Rapist and the Soccer Club

After several months of protests, statements, and retracted statements, it looks like the saga of convicted rapist Ched Evans' return to professional soccer might finally come to a close. Since his release from prison last month, Evans has flirted with a return to his former employer, Sheffield United Football Club. Still just 25, Evans might have something left to offer, at least in purely sporting terms. But whatever he could provide in goals would come with a great deal of baggage, to put it mildly. Late last night, Sheffield United released a statement informing the public that Evans would no longer be allowed to train with the club, something he'd done for the preceding 10 days.

"The Club initially accepted a request from The [Professional Footballers' Association] for Ched Evans to be able to train," the statement reads in part. "The reaction to this has been at an intensity that could not have been anticipated when first announced."

That the club didn't anticipate the outrage over its renewed association with Evans is revelatory. The notion that he might return to professional soccer—with Sheffield or another club—made national and then international news before Evans was even released from prison. Prior to his release, about 150,000 people signed a petition urging Sheffield United not to get involved with him (the number of signatories has since grown). We even covered the case before his release here at VICE Sports.

By allowing Evans to train, Sheffield United displayed an amazing lack of awareness and a misunderstanding of professional soccer's elevated position in British society. The outrage, on the other hand, amounts to an interesting snapshot of society's changing views on an issue—rape—that has always been a problem, but has in many ways evaded mainstream cultural worry.

The reaction to Sheffield United's renewed relationship with Evans was wide-ranging and angry. In addition to the petition, Sheffield faced a significant backlash from some of its own supporters. (Other fans remain supportive of Sheffield re-signing Evans. Yesterday's statement acknowledges "that a number of our supporters will be disappointed with this decision.") Some of the club's more prominent patrons—like television presenter Charlie Webster, a Sheffield native—renounced their association with the club. Another Sheffield native, Olympic gold medalist Jessica Ennis-Hill, also weighed in. A section of seats at Sheffield's Bramall Lane stadium are named after Ennis-Hill, but last week she threatened to remove her name from the stadium should Evans resign.

None of this has prevented Evans and his supporters from speaking out. They tend to paint his conviction as a "miscarriage of justice" while arguing he has already "served his time."

Perhaps the most bizarre statement to that effect came from Stuart Gilhooly, a lawyer for the Irish player's union. Gilhooly's statement includes a pun in the title—"Hanging Ched"—and compares Evan's case with that of the Guildford Four, a group framed for terrorism in the 1970s. Why a foreign players union decided to wade into the controversy remains an open question. The statement has since been removed from the PFA's website.

Evans appeared in a video posted to his website in which he read a halting statement with his loyal girlfriend, Natasha Massey, by his side. Crucially, Evans didn't do the one thing that could have eased the public's anger: take responsibility and apologize to the woman he raped. Instead, he repeatedly referred to the incident as an act of infidelity toward Massey.

Paul Blomfield, a Member of Parliament for Sheffield Central, explained to the BBC why this was troubling:

"Everybody deserves a second chance, but with such serious offences this is based on offenders recognising the gravity of their crimes and seeking to make good for them. Since his release Ched Evans has not taken this first step towards rehabilitation, but has trivialised his crime."

Unless another club steps forward to sign Evans, it looks like his career is officially over. In the process, British society has taken a big step toward treating rape with the cultural sensitivity and attention the problem deserves.

Critics will continue to argue that Evans has a right to work, which is true, but the question of whether that right should extend to the privileged position of professional sports has also been answered: "Those in positions of influence should respect the role they play in young people's lives and set a good example," Ennis-Hill told the BBC. "If Evans was to be re-signed by the club it would completely contradict these beliefs."