Regardless of what happens with Ched Evans, Sheffield United have not covered themselves in glory.

They have stood by a convicted rapist who has shown no remorse for his actions.

His constant “I have done nothing wrong and I am the victim because I can no longer play football” routine is insulting to the victim and all women out there.

By saying he is ashamed of cheating on his girlfriend but not ruining the life of the woman he raped says a lot about his thoughts regarding this incident.

Even if he wants to continue pleading innocence, he should at least have the decency to acknowledge that the actions of some of his family have forced this woman to change her identity and leave the area she lived in after they shamefully named her on Twitter.

That doesn’t mean that an apology will make this whole thing go away.

He can say sorry all he wants but I still wouldn’t want to see him in a shirt being paid to play football. 

It would just mean he is not a robot devoid of any emotional sentiment and has the basic understanding of a five-year-old in terms of what right and wrong actually means. 

The sad fact is that he is likely to play football again and it wouldn’t suprise me if it is for Sheffield United.

They have tried to say they haven’t made up their minds yet but they  clearly have.

Manager Nigel Clough, along with other staff at the club, went to visit Evans while he was in prison. Clough didn’t sign him in 2009 so had no reason to visit him. What would they have spoken about, considering they had never worked together before?

While I dont know for certain, I can imagine the conversation being about whether the striker would be interested in picking up where he left off with the Blades.

The board members want him. If they didn’t then they would have washed their hands of him years ago.

They have had no reason to stick by him for the past two-and-a-half years unless they intended to bring him back to the club.

They probably didn’t expect such a public backlash but that is what happens when you consider bringing back a player who has just been released from prison for rape.

It sounds as if they are just waiting for people to get bored of talking about Evans and move on to the next debate before slipping him in through the back door at Bramall Lane.

Oldham had the same problem when they signed Lee Hughes in 2007 after he served time for causing death by dangerous driving.

Hughes showed remorse for his actions though and while I still don’t agree with him making a return to the sport, Evans’s attitude stinks and until he owns up to what happened Sheffield and every other football team should stay well clear.

But, if the Welsh striker isn’t picked up by Clough there will be a team out there that will be willing to take a chance on him.

Evans proved to be a good striker before he was convicted and club owners will look at the pros and cons and give him a second chance.

Clubs can pay him a very small wage due to the baggage he brings but if the move works Evans could be the difference between finishing mid-table and promotion which will increase revenue and that is what owners ultimately care about.

He will also bring a huge amount of attention to games and may even increase ticket sales as people will want to see the show that is Ched Evans.

On the other hand, if a team does give him a contract, they will be telling their female fans that they don’t care about them.

The club would be celebrating a man who attacked a woman. Have they not thought about the consequences? Or do they simply not care?

TV presenter and Sheffield fan Charlie Webster said on Sunday that she would walk away from the club and she won’t be the only one who refuses to be associated with it.

I would hope that many board members walk away from their jobs in protest at Evans being allowed to waltz back in, be it Sheffield United or even a non-league team.

And to the fans that want him back at the club and will cheer and support him when he scores, I ask you a simple question: if your daughter was the victim, would you be cheering her attacker and asking for him to be reinstated back into society or would you have signed the petition in the hope that he never plays football again?