LONDON - Hes young, experienced and wants to play — but it looks like public opinion in Britain may prevent forward Ched Evans from ever resuming his professional soccer career.Evans, 26, is out of prison after serving time for raping a 19-year-old woman in his hotel room in 2011. Yet public reaction to his possible return to the nations favourite sport is becoming more and more vehement.The high-profile case raises questions about the role of rehabilitation and challenges conventional wisdom that a convicted criminal who has paid for his offence should be given a chance to work. The situation is complicated by Evans lack of remorse — he insists he is innocent and has never apologized.Oldham, an English team that plays in the countrys third-tier League One, is considering signing Evans but major sponsors Verlin and Mecca Bingo said Monday they will drop the team if he joins. Thousands have signed an online petition opposing his return.I agree hes served his time but its a very serious crime, said Kath Woodward, a professor of sociology at Britains Open University who deals extensively with sports issues. Remorse would go some way toward ameliorating the situation. Its very disappointing that clubs like Oldham are trying to get a reasonable player cheap. It shows the management of football (soccer) doesnt understand the changing times.She said societys attitudes toward rape and sexual harassment have hardened considerably since the days when former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was able to resume his boxing career after serving time in prison for a 1992 rape.I can remember the idea you just have to put up with it, its part of life, but women now are not prepared to do that, she said. Theres a lot of public feeling against him coming back, a lot of public protests. The fans genuinely dont want it.Oldhams chief executive, Neil Joy, said Monday that discussions were continuing with soccer authorities on the topic but the club was not ready to make any official announcement concerning a possible pact with Evans.There have not been any high-profile cases of convicted rapists returning to professional team sports in the United States. However, some professional athletes in the U.S. have been able to resume their careers after prison sentences, including NFL quarterback Michael Vick, who served time for his role in a dogfighting ring.Evans was jailed for five years in 2012 but was released in October after serving half his sentence. The former Wales national team player said he would work to clear his name and that he wanted to return to soccer.Sheffield United said in November that Evans would train with the club, sparking almost immediate opposition. Prominent Britons, including Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis, said they would drop their association with the club if they signed Evans.The pressure worked — the club changed course after 10 days and said Evans would not be training there after all.After that, the prospect that Evans could play overseas was raised when a Maltese team said it would offer him a contract. But British officials said since Evans was a convicted sex offender this would likely be impossible. A Ministry of Justice statement said probation officers would have to approve any new job and would have to be assured of regular, face-to-face meetings, which effectively rules out working abroad.Then Oldham entered the picture. But resistance has been fierce, with some 20,000 people signing an online petition opposing his addition.Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd even took the unusual step of wading into the controversy. He said Evans lack of remorse and failure to acknowledge his crime should keep him out of the game.Ched Evans is a convicted rapist and, whilst I strongly believe in the principle of rehabilitation, it will send out entirely the wrong message if they offer him a contract, Lloyd said.Professor Simon Chadwick, who specializes in sports marketing at Coventry University, said Evans has become a toxic player that nobody wants to touch.Chadwick said Evans made the situation worse by presenting his case to the public in an arrogant way that does not seem to comprehend the severity of his crime.Nobody wants to see somebody who has perpetrated violent crime against women be so easily allowed back in, he said. Normally youd say, if he served his time, he should have the opportunity to re-enter the workplace and continue his work. But this is not a legal issue, its a socio-cultural issue. What this man has done is deemed by many to be unacceptable. Michael Jordan Jersey Nike .ca! 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It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. Michael Jordan Jersey Swingman . - Vince Wilfork has played only two career games in Kansas City.The Washington Capitals solidified their front office and coaching positions on Monday, with assistant general manager Brian MacLellan promoted to the GMs office and former Nashville Predators coach Barry Trotz taking over behind the bench. MacLellan is entering his third season with the club, spending the last two as assistant general manager after spending several years with the teams AHL-affiliate Hershey Bears. MacLellan spent 10 years in the NHL as a player, including winning the 1989 Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames. He becomes the sixth GM in team history. "We are extremely pleased to name Brian MacLellan the teams general manager and welcome Barry Trotz to Washington as the Capitals coach,” said owner Ted Leonsis in a release. “After conducting an extensive search for a general manager, we determined that Brian was the best candidate to help us reach our ultimate goal, winning the Stanley Cup. We have witnessed his abilities firsthand, and we have tremendous respect for how he manages people and situations. We feel he has relevant, in-depth knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of our franchise and will be forceful in addressing them. Brian always has displayed tremendous professionalism, passion and commitment to the Capitals. He has his own unique approach, and we are confident in his abilities to lead this organization to new heights." McLellan is also looking forward to assuming his new position. “I am extremely honored and excited about the opportunity I have been given with the Capitals,” said MacLellan in a release. &ldquuo;Over the course of my career I have worked in acquiring the necessary skills to excel in this position.dddddddddddd We have built a solid foundation, and I look forward to implementing my ideas to get us back to competing for the Stanley Cup. Also, it is a great pleasure to welcome Barry to Washington as the new head coach of the Capitals. Barrys teams have always played with structure, discipline and intensity, and I look forward to him leading us to success for many years to come.” Trotz was fired by the Nashville Predators at the end of the season after 16 years as the only head coach in franchise history. Trotz coached 1,196 games with Nashville, second only to Gregg Popovich of the NBAs San Antonio Spurs for longest active coaching tenure in the four major sports. Trotz says he welcomes his new challenge. “I am very excited to join the Washington Capitals and want to thank Ted Leonsis, Dick Patrick and Brian MacLellan for this opportunity,” said Trotz in the release. “This is a great organization with a strong foundation and a tremendous fan base. I look forward to working with this group of talented players and the quality front office staff this team has assembled.” Trotz is the only NHL coach to make the playoffs with the same team in seven of eight seasons between 2003-04 and 2011-12 and becomes the Capitals 17th head coach. The Capitals fired head coach Adam Oates and did not renew the contract of general manager George McPhee at the end of the season after the team missed the playoffs with a record of 38-30-14. ' ' '