IN the Court of Law, Jon Flanagan is a guilty man and the punishment, it has been deemed, fits the crime.

In the Court of Public Opinion, he is seemingly forever condemned. He will do his time, but his name will never be cleared.

Convicted of assaulting his girlfriend, Rachael Wall, at Liverpool Magistrates Court in January this year, Flanagan became the latest footballer to find himself on the wrong side of the law.

His actions can only be damned. No excuses have been offered and none will be accepted. While some will forgive, few will forget.

That is an issue that Flanagan will have to deal with for the rest of his life, never mind his football career, and it is one that Rangers have accepted responsibility for this week.

The seventh signing that Steven Gerrard has sanctioned is undoubtedly the most controversial. The 38-year-old will have debated the morals of the move more than the football benefits of giving a deal to a man who is not just a defender anymore, but a hugely controversial and divisive character, even amongst his own support.

On the park, there is no doubt that Flanagan, if he can put his injury troubles behind him, could be a terrific bit of business for Rangers.

But few fans have been debating his capabilities this week and the question of whether he is fit to wear the shirt has taken on a new meaning.

When Flanagan was handed a 12-month community order and 40 hours unpaid work, Liverpool condemned him ‘in the strongest possible terms’ and stated: “It leaves his own reputation damaged and, through association, he has severely let down the club he had previously represented with distinction.

“We have expressed to him our disappointment and anger that he has failed to live up to the values of Liverpool Football Club, in this specific instance.”

Crucially, though, Liverpool didn’t sack him. Instead, they believed they had a responsibility to help his rehabilitation after the shameful late-night attack, which was captured on CCTV.

That is now the role that Rangers have assumed and Gerrard, a father-figure to a generation of young players at Anfield, carries the burden of his decision.

If Flanagan falters, it won’t just be himself that he is letting down once again. He has been given a second chance, and rightly so, but he only gets one at Ibrox.

The idea that footballers should be held to a higher moral standard or operate within different boundaries because of the profile they have or the money they earn has always been absurd. They make mistakes, have personal issues and worries like the fan in the stand, so cannot, and should not, be portrayed as perfect when they are far from it.

It is only natural that children will admire their talents and wish to replicate their successes, but footballers are not role models and should not be looked upon as someone to take guidance from.

There are players up and down the country that have convictions that range from drink driving to assault to indecent behaviour.

Who gets to decide the ranking order of offences and who should be allowed move on or be banned from the game? In matters of opinion, the rules are the only judgements that can be followed.

Those that have been dealt with by the Law of the land then have to run the public gauntlet, though. It is trial by Twitter, outrage by forum and talk show.

Like all of those that have been caught up in scandal, Flanagan will have to live the with consequences of his actions but that shouldn’t prevent him from returning to his profession.

If Rangers hadn’t signed the 25-year-old, someone else would have and there is perhaps no better figure for Flanagan to work with than Gerrard as he looks to rebuild his reputation and truly become rehabilitated.

In time, he could placate some of the doubters and critics within his own support but the wider battle is one that he can’t win. In that regard, he will never walk alone.