David Goodwillie has been released from his contract at Raith Rovers eight months after his controversial signing in February.
The Starks Park club were hit with widespread backlash after signing Goodwillie from Clyde at the end of the January window. Former Dundee United player Goodwillie, who was deemed a rapist by a civil court judge in 2017, was handed a two-and-a-half year deal which led to club sponsor Val McDermid withdrawing her support while First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also called on Raith to realise their responsibility as a prominent football club.
Rovers initially doubled down but two weeks after, they took fans' concerns on board and issued a grovelling apology. They announced that Goodwillie would not play a game for the club, and they've made good on that promise with Goodwillie not featuring since he returned from a loan spell back at Clyde.
They've now announced his release with a statement reading: "The club can confirm that David Goodwillie has been released from his contract with immediate effect. The club will make no further comment."
Their apology back in February read: "The board of directors and CEO, having reflected further on what we have already acknowledged was a wrong decision around a deadline day transfer, would like to provide our supporters, volunteers and the wider community connected to the club with an update.
"In doing so, we ask that everyone takes cognisance of the fact that a number of legal and financial issues are still being discussed with concerned parties, and as such we are restricted to the extent of information we can share at this time.
"The past two weeks have been an awful period in the club’s long and proud history, and once again we want to say sorry for the damage that has been caused and to those affected in any way by the issues raised."
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