I'm actually quite relieved to see some sensible comments here, comments elsewhere boil down to, "He's a scumbag rapist, bugger him with a spiked mace then burn him to death".
My view.
It's not for you, me or Oldham Athletic to judge whether he's guilty or innocent, that's been done by the courts, as it should be.
They said he's guilty and he was handed a sentence.
In this country, prison is not supposed to be purely a punishment but also a rehabilitation system.
Evans should have only been released if he's not considered to be a threat to anyone, i.e. he is rehabilitated.
To that ends, he should be free to seek employment and as a footballer, it makes sense that he would go back to that.
Oldham and Sheffield Utd before that are being attacked for not taking a moral stance but actually, by denying Evans work solely on the basis of his conviction, they would effectively be undermining the penal system in the UK.
So to that ends, I think Oldham are right to offer him work.
HOWEVER, given that he was found guilty of rape, my own personal view is that he should still be inside until way past his footballing years!
So in short, question the legal system here, not his potential new employers.
(Note that I don't know the ins and outs of the case... pun intended... so I'm making no comment as to whether I think he's guilty or innocent. As I said at the top that's not for me to decide).
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