As we stumble through the next chapter of the ongoing David Goodwillie saga, let’s think about who we should be feeling sorry for here.
Is it the young woman who was left naked, alone and in pain after being raped by two men? The one who, even now, continues to receive death threats from strangers?
Or is it the privileged young man who was gifted with an enviable talent for football? The one who scored in a Scottish Cup final, was capped for Scotland, then transferred to an English club for £2 million, where he reportedly earned £20,000 a week?
If you take your moral guidance from Twitter, you might think the only person deserving of sympathy in this case is David Goodwillie.
Because here he’s a man “just trying to make a living” who’s being hounded from his career “by a bunch of feminists and virtue-signallers”.
Social media went wild after the announcement that Goodwillie will not be allowed to play for Clyde.
That’s after North Lanarkshire Council, the owners of the Cumbernauld side’s stadium, banned him from the premises last week.
But as we mark International Women’s Day, it’s more than worrying the word “feminist” has become the insult of choice aimed at Goodwillie’s critics.
The facts, once more, for the David Goodwillie defenders
Men (and it is mainly men) can’t seem to get their heads around the fact that David Goodwillie can no longer play for Clyde, just five weeks after he left them for Raith Rovers in a horribly misjudged transfer.
These same men don’t understand why the Clyde women’s team, who resigned en masse in protest at their club’s loan signing, didn’t object to Goodwillie sooner.
And they’re really struggling with what Goodwillie is supposed to do next.
As a lifelong feminist and a former employee of Raith Rovers Community Foundation, the charity attached to the club, allow me to attempt to clarify the situation for those struggling to keep up.
The media outcry, staff resignations, loss of sponsors and political condemnation that followed Goodwillie’s transfer to Rovers in January turned this case into a huge story.
It was covered by media outlets across Europe and the US.
By the end of that first week at Stark’s Park, there were few people in the country who hadn’t heard of David Goodwillie.
That’s unlike his five years at Clyde, a lower league club, where he was mainly – though not entirely – able to play without protest.
Raith Rovers were unusual in that their main sponsor was an intelligent, outspoken and very famous author.
Val McDermid quite rightly withdrew her funding from the team she’s supported all her life, announcing she didn’t want her name plastered across Goodwillie’s chest.
And just like that, the story exploded.
Women have a voice – and David Goodwillie has other career options
North Lanarkshire Council didn’t own Clyde’s football stadium when Goodwillie originally signed for them in 2017.
They do now and have stated clearly that they strongly oppose all violence against women.
The women’s team, who didn’t even exist back then, were probably too scared to object before now.
That wouldn’t be surprising when you see the hatred directed towards women who do just that.
Reading some of the comments on this 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ Maybe, just maybe, some things have changed in 5 years. Maybe some women (and men) feel more empowered to speak out about certain issues now. Maybe we should be embracing that, rather than using it as an reason to excuse the inexcusable! https://t.co/d0gKGdEpaV
— Jane Lewis (@Jane__Lewis) March 3, 2022
But perhaps witnessing what happened at Raith Rovers gave them the courage to speak out.
And as for Goodwillie being left with no way to earn a living…guess what?
Being a footballer isn’t the only job available in Scotland these days.
A cursory glance at any recruitment website will show thousands of vacancies across all areas.
I should know. Since losing my job after I resigned in protest at Rovers’ signing of a rapist, I’m often on these sites myself.
Social media awash with misogyny and hatred
David Goodwillie is undeniably a good footballer, which just makes what he’s done with his life more galling.
Because he wasn’t only found guilty of raping a woman in a civil court.
He was also convicted of violent assaults in criminal courts on two other occasions.
So why do David Goodwillie’s supporters believe he’s still entitled to play professional football?
He had his chance – numerous chances – and he blew it.
He’s young enough to retrain in a new career. And the money he’ll get from Raith Rovers will tide him over for a while.
Meanwhile, the arguments on social media continue, full of toxic masculinity, misogyny and hatred.
There’s a certain type of man who seems to get really angry when women dare to speak out on football-related matters.
One random guy helpfully pointed out to me that this was “not my area of expertise”.
That’s despite the fact I used to be an SFA-qualified referee, I was paid to write about football for a national magazine and I have been watching the game, home and abroad, for 40 years now.
But of course, I’m one of those crazy, outspoken feminists.
And apparently that makes me more deserving of abuse and criticism than the man who raped a young woman then declared himself bankrupt to avoid paying her the £100,000 damages awarded by a court.
Happy International Women’s Day.
