Former Manchester City and Sheffield United striker Ched Evans will not be joining Hartlepool…
BBC Sport have confirmed that League Two strugglers Hartlepool have ruled out signing convicted rapist Ched Evans, despite being linked with the forward in recent days.
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The 25-year-old was released in October after serving half of a five-year sentence for the rape of a 19-year-old woman in a hotel room in 2011, and has since been linked with former club Sheffield United and League One Oldham Athletic.
Hartlepool’s new manager Ronnie Moore had said he was considering signing Evans, but in a statement the club said they “do not intend signing Ched Evans” despite “his obvious ability as a football player”.
Moore had said of Evans on Saturday: “He is a proven scorer. He’s served his time and the boy wants to play football. If it could happen, I’d want it to.” Hartlepool have since announced Moore was responding “hypothetically” to an “unsubstantiated internet rumour”.
Speaking on Sky Sports News following Hartlepool’s statement on Sunday, Hartlepool’s Labour MP Iain Wright said: “I am really pleased. Reputation is incredibly important for football clubs.
“It is significant that no club in the Football League is considering signing him and Hartlepool are among them. It sends out a powerful message about what acceptable behaviour is. We can now move on and make sure the number one priority is league survival.”