Luke McCormick

[Kirishima]

If you remember, this was the Plymouth Argyle Goalkeeper, an uninsured, over the limit driver, who killed two kids by hitting the car they were in. He was twice the limit at 6 in the morning. After 3 years he is out and Swindon are allowing him to train at their ground.

Personally, every ex-offender needs to be able to earn and get on in life afterwards. However, football is not the place imho. Footballers are role models, continually in the public eye, and celebrities. He wouldn't get a TV presenter role had he been a TV presenter, and I strongly feel football should be the price he pays for being a murderer, in my eyes at least.

It seems as though Swindon won't sign him up, but will another club? Hypothetically, with Tuffey gone, were he rumoured to be on ICTs radar, how would you feel?

[DALNEIGHCALEY]

Worst post of the year . Pathetic .

[lukemackay]

Worst post of the year . Pathetic .

Nice and constructive

[HighlanderICT]

Worst post of the year . Pathetic .

there's only one pathetic post on this thread and it wasnt from the original poster. You sir, appear to be a class 'A' knobend !

[Scotty]

OK, lets not get personal here. Post has already been reported to mods and will be dealt with.

[Scotty]

on the actual topic .... Given that it has been reported that he vowed never to play football again in his statement of mitigation then he is not only a convicted killer, but a liar too.

I see the Swindon chairman has said "He wants to come back and give something back to society. The best way we can do that is to rehabilitate, and that’s the role Swindon can play...... Luke might have done 3½ years but he undoubtedly wakes up with a life sentence every day and thinking about what he’s done. Does he try and do something positive with the rest of his life and give something back? If one life is saved in the future because of that, then it’s the right action.”

Sorry. but for me, the way to save lives as a convicted drunk driver who killed two kids and put the father in a wheelchair with a broken neck and back is not to return to your former profession as if nothing happened but to become a spokesperson for the likes of CADD or Brake in the same way that reformed drug addicts frequently talk to kids or vulnerable groups about the dangers of drugs from a perspective of someone who has been there, done that, and suffered the consequences .... not a positive role model, more of a warning of what can happen, and how you can wreck families with this action .. If he is truly contrite, he would at least consider something like that.

[CaleyD]

Worst post of the year . Pathetic .

O would some power the giftie gie us to see ourselves as others see us.

[Alex MacLeod]

I do find some difficulties in this. Yes he was convicted. He spent three and a half years in jail but his sentence is not over. He's out on licence and Swindon were asked, and have agreed, to help in his rehabilitation. The thing is, this is the only job he knows so does he earn a living or does the tax payer keep him? It could well be that he trains for now and moves abroad if and when his licence allows.

As for some of the comments that come out of such tragedies. People really need to wake up to life. Many of those who, nowadays, kick the drunk driver when he's down are the same people who think its great to go as fast as they can on the roads. Cause a death through speed and you are just as guilty as the DD.

[AJS]

We had a similar debate about Marlon King last year though he hasnt killed anybody.

Alot of this is down to personal opinion and everyones own perception of ethics at the end of the day. There is no law that says he cant play and if he has done the time required then he is free to carry on.

[old caley girl]

We had a similar debate about Marlon King last year though he hasnt killed anybody.

Alot of this is down to personal opinion and everyones own perception of ethics at the end of the day. There is no law that says he cant play and if he has done the time required then he is free to carry on.

Maybe ajsict92 but doesn't seem enough to me considering young children lost their lives through his actions. Although I realise that the length of sentence is not determined by This guy himself.

In reply to the OP no I would not like him to sign for us but acknowledge that he has to learn a living somehow.

Edited May 24, 2012 by old caley girl

[ictchris]

It's a difficult thing - we've had players in the past who have been convicted of criminal offences. Do you say that you don't want any ex-offenders playing football, where do you draw the line? Even if people commit horrible crimes, the vast majority of prisoners are released into society and have to make a living.

This was posted on P&B and a Morton fan raised Alan Lithgow. He was convicted of flashing a series of young women but was kept on by Clyde and subsequently went on trial at Morton, where a lot of their fans weren't in favour of him signing. He went to Dumbarton where he's been a stand out and helped them to Division One for the first time in 16 years. Watching the play off on the telly at the weekend I don't think many Sons fans were complaining!

[+Gringo]

Lee Hughes is a convicted DD and caused a death and he is back playing football. Its a tough call to say whether its right or wrong to have these people back into football. Yes, they've served their time and all that but they knew at the time that their actions were wrong and should not have opened the car door. They took that choice to do that and, in my view, should choose to leave football alone and find another occupation.

[AJS]

Not saying i agree with it. Personally i dont think he should play again. What he did was terrible.

[tm4tj]

Worst post of the year . Pathetic .

DC, If you have nothing to add to the debate please refrain from posting personal insults.

Thank you

[Yngwie]

Got no sympathy for him, but I don't see why, once he has served his time, he can't go back to the job he used to do. If any of us were the perpetrator, would we be expected to change career?

The problem he'll have in that line of work is that once he gets a club, he will be reminded of what he did every Saturday by the opposing fans right behind his goal.

[old caley girl]

Got no sympathy for him, but I don't see why, once he has served his time, he can't go back to the job he used to do. If any of us were the perpetrator, would we be expected to change career?

The problem he'll have in that line of work is that once he gets a club, he will be reminded of what he did every Saturday by the opposing fans right behind his goal.

Actually yes I would have to change career! The regulatory body for my profession would not allow me to return to my present career if I committed this type of offence. Even if I was cautioned for a minor offence it is reported by the police to them.

[Renegade]

The question is here, where do you draw the line? There was no outrage on here when ICT signed convicted wife-beater Phil McGuire or what about convicted assaulter Richie Foran? I'm not saying what they did was as bad as McCormick (though McGuire's in-particular was horrendously vicious and supposed done in front of their two children), but where do you draw the line?

[CaleyD]

As I understand it he's not actually been released yet and has only been training with the club once a week on day release and doesn't actually get fully released until next month...having served only half his sentence. I have an issue with that in itself, but the that's the system and you can't blame Luke McCormick for that.

I'm all for people being released after serving their time (even if it is cut short) but have to agree with the op to a certain extent insofar as thinking he should choose a new career path. That's largely down to the nature of the offence and the fact that the parents will face a situation whereby they could pick up a newspaper, turn on the tv or be browsing the internet on any given day and end up being faced with news/photos of the person responsible for the death of their children.

Just as Luke McCormick has rights, so do the victims and the family of victims and they should not be subjected to the risk of the above scenario.

I wouldn't want him at ICT, because I wouldn't want ICT to be attached to the idea that every match report, story, interview or headline involving the club/player would be bringing potential pain and additional heartache to the family.

[milo]

If you are going to try to comment on this sort of thing at least get the facts right, McCormick was not as originally stated in the papers uninsured and as he has served his time in prison as determined by the courts he has the same right as anyone else to get on with his life as he sees fit, not as other people wish.

[milo]

and he is not out of prison yet but Swindon have agreed to give him a trial when he is, do you check any of your facts

[CaleyD]

Technically speaking, the moment he got behind the wheel of the car whilst over the limit then his insurance was null and void so he was uninsured.

[milo]

"Technically speaking, the moment he got behind the wheel of the car whilst over the limit then his insurance was null and void so he was uninsured"

If this is true how do people involved in accidents with drunk drivers make a claim for damage to their vehicles and personal injury

[CaleyD]

Because the Third Party element of the insurance still covers the other driver, their car, the passengers etc. It should also be noted that passengers in the drunk drivers car who were aware/suspected that he had been drinking would have no claim as they knowingly placed themselves in that position.

The Drunk Drivers themselves are not insured.

[lukemackay]

Welcome to hell milo.

[+DoofersDad]

It's not a cut and dried issue to me. He was very foolish but I am sure he did not set out to harm anyone and therefore he probably agonises about what happened every day of his life. We should not brand him as a murderer as the OP does but rather we should reflect on our own driving behaviour. I am sure that probably all on this forum who drive have driven over the speed limit at some time and many will have driven whilst over the limit. Nearly all will have done so without incident. But if you were unlucky and someone ran out in front of the car or you hit some black ice or someone else did something foolish and you crashed and killed someone as a result, would that make you a bad person? No it would not.

I know nothing about Luke McCormick other than what has been said on here but I'll bet that there are many worse people than him playing professional football and that having served the penalty that the legal system imposes, he should be given the opportunity to get his life back on the rails and make a useful contribution to society. However, I think Caley D has it spot on in post 18 when he says that if his career is such that his name features in the media from time to time, that will only add to the hurt the grieving parents feel. If he has got any sense, he will try and pursue a career which will not put him in the public eye. If I was a manager I would not sign him but I think you do have to accept that there will be players who have some kind of record and I don't think there can be any hard and fast rule here. Each case needs to be judged on its merits and in general what matters is how players behave when they are contracted to the club and not what they did before.