Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – Crystal Palace & Raith Rovers
Every week we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.
Crystal Palace offered no sympathy towards Hartlepool United during their recent FA Cup fourth round encounter, with Michael Olise providing a goal and an assist as the Eagles dispatched their lower league opponents 2-0 at Selhurst Park.
Off the pitch, however, it was a different story.
In the lead up to the tie, the Premier League club contributed to a fundraiser for Hartlepool manager Graeme Lee’s wife – who has an inoperable brain tumour – and used their platform to urge fans to give what they can to support.
Mrs Lee was given just 12 months to live after being diagnosed with a rare grade four glioblastoma in January 2019.
However, following an extensive search for alternative treatments, the family found the trial drug ONC201 abroad, which costs £5,000 a month and continues to help the 40-year-old mother of two defy the tumour.
Ahead of the match, Palace – who had already made the extremely generous offer to subsidise Hartlepool fans’ official coach travel from the Suit Direct Stadium to Selhurst Park – announced their intention to help further, tweeting: "The club have donated to the fundraising appeal of @Official_HUFC manager Graeme Lee’s wife Gemma, who is looking to raise £60,000 to fund her next 12 months of treatment for a life-threatening brain tumour."
A statement released on the website followed, providing a link encouraging supporters to donate to the appeal: “The club were made aware of Gemma’s condition, and are asking Palace fans who’d like to help to donate what they can via the family’s Just Giving page.”
The tweet attracted responses from notable figures in the game and the crowdfunding page has since been flooded by people offering their support.
Gillette Soccer Saturday host Jeff Stelling, applauded the club, tweeting: “Well done @CPFC. If everyone in the football family wants to join in, even better!!!”
Beth Badman, a friend who organised the effort, issued a message on the appeal website thanking Palace for their support: "We can not express our gratitude and thanks enough to Crystal Palace for this tweet and their donation tonight, which has truly started the ball rolling.
"Thank you to everyone who has spared something to give to this cause, your generosity has not gone unnoticed. Tonight many people who love Gemma are emotional over the sheer support.
"If you’ve given thank you, if you’ve shared thank you, if you’ve retweeted thank you, you are all making a difference. Grateful for all of you wonderful people."
Mrs Lee herself expressed her appreciation on Twitter, posting: “@CPFC we face each other as opponents tomorrow & I truly hope we are the victors but what you have done for me & my cause today is truly remarkable. Thank you from the bottom of my soul.”
Meanwhile, her husband Graeme – who represented Sheffield Wednesday, Doncaster, Bradford City and Notts County during his playing career – said the club’s efforts were “absolutely immense”.
“This game was a big game [for me]. I would have remembered this game no matter what but for what Crystal Palace and their supporters have done, I think the funds have already gone above a years supply of medication for my wife which for us knowing we’ve got that is absolutely unbelievable,” Lee commented post-match.
“Not only the funds but the support as well, that means as much as the money because my wife knowing there’s that many people supporting her and giving her well wishes, there can only be positive things from it.
“I’ll support Crystal Palace now and hope they do well and want them to win and succeed because of what they’ve done for us.”
Palace manager Patrick Vieira payed tribute to all the fans who helped support the Lee family by making donations, saying: “What you have done in the last couple of days has made me very proud. This shows a really good side of the game and is what our club is all about.”
The generosity of Crystal Palace and their fans should not go unnoticed.
In a week blighted by negative headlines throughout the game, the SE25 club and their fans can be proud to have restored some pride to English football and showed people around the country what the beautiful game is really about.
Thanks in large part to their show of support, the appeal – which had amassed just over £39,000 in funds – raised to more than £76,000 within days of the final whistle.
You can help support Gemma’s journey by visiting her Just Giving page, here.
Football has a big problem with sexual misconduct.
Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood was recently arrested on suspicion of rape, assault and making threats to kill which saw him suspended by the club and commercial partners.
Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy was in court earlier this month charged with seven counts of rape and one of sexual assault concerning five women.
Meanwhile, Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault late last year and is on bail awaiting further developments.
In 2016, former England and Manchester City winger Adam Johnson was sentenced to six years in prison for grooming and sexual activity with a girl aged 15, while abuse by coaches has also come to light in recent years.
There is clearly a lot of work to be done by professional football clubs to educate their players about acceptable behaviour, boundaries and the differences between right and wrong.
But there is a wider impact for clubs as well, to ensure that they have the planning and processes in place to deal with such incidents if their own players are involved - and be fully aware of their positions within communities if their own decisions alienate their fanbase and communities.
Raith Rovers would have known that criticism and controversy would come their way when they signed former player David Goodwillie on deadline day.
Goodwillie, a former Scotland international footballer, was ruled to be a rapist and ordered to pay £100,000 damages with his former team-mate David Robertson in 2017, despite never facing a criminal trial. The player has never expressed contrition or apologised in any way.
Raith put out a statement a day later, which undoubtedly did more harm that good: “As with all new signings, the club has carefully considered our position as a Community Club and we completely respect the differing views among fans and stakeholders, many of whom we have spoken to directly in the past 24 hours and are continuing to engage with.
“The management team is familiar with David’s career and background and – in particular – his footballing ability. That is our foremost consideration, and we believe that he will strengthen the Raith Rovers playing squad.
“Please be assured that as a community football club we fully acknowledge this signing has divided opinion amongst our loyal fans and commercial stakeholders; We aim to rebuild that trust.
“While acknowledging the gravity of what happened ten years ago, as a club we fully support and encourage rehabilitation, and many factors influenced our signing. First and foremost, this was a football related decision. “
Perhaps more than anything else, that last line should have reminded executives at the club that some things are more important than football.
By acknowledging that they had signed Goodwillie despite his crime, they were essentially admitting that his talent as a footballer was more important than the values any sports club or organisations should be promoting.
Brands and fans want to be proud of their club and not feel ashamed or denigrated by their association and support.
So it was of no surprise that the news prompted a series of announcements from partners and players disassociating themselves with Raith.
Bestselling auther Val McDermid withdrew her support and sponsorship of the club and tweeted: “I have this morning ended my lifelong support of @RaithRovers over their signing of the rapist David Goodwillie. I have cancelled next season’s shirt sponsorship over this disgusting and despicable move. This shatters any claim to be a community or family club.
“Goodwillie has never expressed a shred of remorse for the rape he committed. His presence at Starks Park is a stain on the club. I’ll be tearing up my season ticket too. This is a heartbreaker for me and many other fans, I know.”
Charity Rape Crisis Scotland supported Mc Dermind and said: “This has no doubt been an incredibly difficult decision for @valmcdermid but it is one we support wholeheartedly. When it comes to sexual violence we need zero tolerance.”
Fan Martin Glass started a fundraiser which attracted thousands of pounds in donations which the charity will put towards its helpline for victims of sexual assault and Glass said: “There’s a reason clubs haven’t been near him, and you can see why people are boycotting the club.
“I saw this news this morning, and I thought we could at least get a tiny bit of good out of this situation by raising money for the charity. The damage has already been done, there are hundreds of people who won’t be back until Goodwillie is away.”
Raith’s women’s team also officially split from the club and is seeking permission from the Scottish Football Association to change their name.
Captain of the club's women's team, Tyler Rattray, also said she had quit in protest. She tweeted: "After 10 long years playing for Raith, it's gutting I have given up now because they have signed someone like this and I want nothing to do with it!"
No wonder Scottish Women's Football Chief Executive Aileen Campbell said the move could have "devastating" consequences for the women's game in Scotland.
Speaking to BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme, Ms Campbell urged the club to reconsider its decision: "The fact the women's club have lost their captain as a result of this is devastating. That would be a devastating consequence to lose women from the game as a result of this poor decision."
Former Raith chairman Bill Clark said he had also resigned over Goodwillie's signing: "How could I go out and speak to people in the community with young daughters, girls, boys, whatever and say 'we're a great community club, come in and join us' - it just wasn't going to work."
The fact that Mr Clark’s concerns did not ring the alarm bells and signal that this would swiftly become a hugely damaging reputational crisis suggests a lack of understanding not only of communications but also of the fans, partners and players of the club.
The stadium announcer, Johnny Macdonald, newly-appointed Employability Project Delivery Officer Marie Penman, and supporter liaison officer Margie Robertson all resigned, as did Supporter Director Andrew Mill.
Paul Farley, founder of sponsor Tag Games, also tweeted his decision to withdraw support. He said: “Have written to @RaithRovers ending @TagGames future shirt, or other, sponsorship and requesting our branding removed from shirts for the remainder of the season. We stand with @valmcdermid and the majority of fans against violence towards women.”
Even Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon got involved and tweeted: “The stances that @valmcdermid and women’s team captain @Tyler_RattrayX have taken are principled - though difficult for both of them. But the fact they’re in this position at all reminds us that our society still has a way to go to make zero tolerance of sexual violence a reality.”
Ms Sturgeon later added that the Scottish football authorities should take action. She said: “It would be appropriate for the SPFL to take action," Sturgeon said on Wednesday.
"We have to recognise footballers are role models and young boys and girls look up to footballers so there is a responsibility on football clubs to make sure those role models are positive.
"We are talking about a football player who in a civil court was found to have raped a woman, who as far as I'm aware, has never expressed any real remorse or reflection and I think that sends a really damaging message.
"I think it tells us that while we talk about the importance of tackling sexual violence and abuse of women, we have an awful long way to go to make zero tolerance of sexual violence as a reality.
"I hope Raith Rovers reflect carefully on the groundswell of opinion that has been expressed from all walks of life, but most particular from their own fans, and perhaps think again about this decision."
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown echoed Ms Sturgeon’s sentiments and said: “I have always supported Raith Rovers but I have told Raith Rovers that I cannot support this signing.
“Because of the number of recent examples across football, I urge the football authorities to set out a policy to address cases of violence like this.”
Belatedly, Raith reversed their decision, with chairman John Sim issuing an additional statement which said: “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.”
Rape Crisis Scotland praised the efforts of those who were prepared to give up their livelihoods in response to Goodwillie’s signing. They said: “There are no doubt unanswered questions and concerns here but the Scottish public should be proud that they made the terrible decision by Raith Rovers FC untenable.
“We have been so heartened to see the response from fans, sponsors, staff and the women’s football team in particular – they have proved the power of speaking out against injustice and showed that in Scotland we want there to be zero tolerance of rape and rapists.
“We applaud the courage and principle of those who did the right thing, even when it came at great personal cost and was clearly very painful. We are also grateful to all who donated to Rape Crisis in protest and solidarity. These donations will be shared with the local Rape Crisis centre so that survivors who need support locally, will be able to access this as soon as possible.”
Ms McDermid perhaps summed it up when she stated: "It's just the first step on a long road back. The same people who made the decision are still in charge.
"Those who love and value the club are still on the outside - they need to be on the inside, shaping the future for the community."
Raith currently has creditors in excess of £2m and with the withdrawal of some financial backing, Mr Clark summed it up when he added: “The financial damage that has already been done, and is still to be done, can be sorted over a period of time. And it will take time because this will be a costly mistake.”
Whether the Chairman and Board who backed the decision to sign Goodwillie will resign in order to give the club the best possible chance of restoring its tattered reputation remains to be seen.
If they care about Raith Rovers as much as the fans, sponsors and players who were prepared to give up years of support and dedication, they will do the right thing and depart.
