Raith Rovers have confirmed that David Goodwillie will not play for the club again following his highly controversial signing.
The striker was ruled to be a rapist in a civil court case in 2017 although no criminal proceedings were instructed.
The 32 year old's signing saw long time sponsor, Val McDermid, withdraw her sponsorship of the club, while Tyler Rattra,y the captain of Raith's women's team, resigned in protest.
A number of other members of Raith's staff also quit along with two directors, while a statement yesterday said that the signing of Goodwillie was "first and foremost a football decision".
However in a statement released this morning, chairman John Sim said "We got it Wrong", and that they had focussed too much on football matters and not enough on what the decision would mean to the club and community as a whole.
The statement apologised to fans, sponsors, players and the wider Raith Rovers community for the anguish and anger caused over the past few days.
Sim's statement in full reads:
"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.
"We got it wrong.
"In reaching our original decision, we focused far too much on football matters and not enough on what this decision would mean for our club and the community as a whole.
"Over the past couple of days, we listened carefully to the fans who have got in touch and I'm very grateful for their honesty. As chairman, as a board and as a management team, we have all learned a hard but valuable lesson.
"This very unfortunate episode is something that we all bitterly regret and we are now wholly committed to making things right. I can therefore confirm that, following a meeting of the Raith Rovers board, the player will not be selected by Raith Rovers and we will enter into discussions with the player regarding his contractual position.
"We share a desire to do what is best for our club and will be doing everything in our power to regain the trust and confidence of the Raith Rovers family."
