- Goodwillie asserts innocence in his first interview after 2011 civil court ruling
- Former Scotland forward claims consensual sex while intoxicated
- Footballer faces opposition and contract terminations from various clubs
On Anything Goes with James English, Goodwillie said he “tried to be a better person” and “cleaned up.”
In his first interview since a 2011 civil court ruling that he had assaulted a woman, former Scotland forward David Goodwillie stated, “I am an innocent man.”
After the 2017 court verdict, the football player decided to “finally speak my truth” as he had never been charged.
Goodwillie and his erstwhile Dundee United teammate, David Robertson, were found guilty of raping a woman in a civil case at the Court of Session in Edinburgh that year.
The two men were ordered to pay her £100,000 in damages, but neither of them was charged with a crime.
FC Sorrento was the latest team to terminate Goodwillie’s contract.
Goodwillie stated on the podcast Anything Goes with James English that he desires to move on with his life.
He stated, “I am a man of innocence. I still say, “I’m walking around free, I’m not on the sex offenders’ register. I have no charges for this, and I no longer have a criminal record.”
He added, “I’ve cleaned up my act and tried to become a better person.”
Goodwillie stated that he could not recall the night of the incident because he was intoxicated, but stated: “This case was not violent; it involved three intoxicated individuals engaging in consensual sex; what I saw was normal; she was talking, laughing, joking, and joining in.
It’s difficult for me to accept her claim that she doesn’t remember because, based on her behavior. We had no reason to believe that she would wake up the next morning and not recall the incident.
Goodwillie left Plymouth “by mutual consent” after the civil court verdict.
Two months later, in March 2017, despite harsh criticism of the club’s decision to sign him, he joined Clyde.
Before joining Raith Rovers last February, he captained Cumbernauld for nearly five years.
Goodwillie was released from his contract without playing a match due to widespread opposition to the decision. Which included crime writer Val McDermid, a supporter of the club.
A year later, Northern Premier League club Radcliffe responded to criticism by terminating Goodwillie’s contract the day after he scored a hat-trick in his début match against Belper Town.
And Australian second-tier club FC Sorrento followed suit, announcing last month that they had terminated his contract following a social media backlash against his impending arrival.
In the podcast, married father of two Goodwillie said he has frequent suicide thoughts and sees a therapist.
He answered, “Positive; I believe this is my opportunity to say what I want to say.”
According to reports, the footballer played for Glasgow United FC in a friendly match on Wednesday.
The club told that he “deserves a chance” and added, “All he wants is to be left in peace and allowed to play the game he loves.”
Rape Crisis Scotland responded that it was “deeply disappointed” by the club’s decision to field Goodwillie, adding, “This was a poor decision that sends the wrong message entirely.”
