Paris (France) (AFP) – Women’s rights charity Her Game Too France announced on Wednesday it had ended its partnership with Top 14 club Stade Francais after they had signed US winger Rufus McLean. In 2023, McLean pleaded guilty to domestic abuse before being sacked by Glasgow Warriors and moved to the US to play club rugby the following campaign. Last month, the Parisians announced the 26-year-old’s arrival on a one-season deal.
“This represents a direct and irreparable contradiction of the values and commitments on which this partnership was built,” the charity said having started working with the club in September 2025. “Above all, we think of the message this signing sends to women, to female supporters, and to all victims of domestic violence: that their suffering matters less than the sporting performance of a man convicted by a court of law. That is a message we cannot endorse,” it added.
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Her Game Too has partnerships with football clubs such as Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Fulham, cricket outfits including Lancashire, and rugby teams like Bristol and Clermont.
Boston-born McLean made the last of his seven US appearances earlier this month, having played three Tests for Scotland between 2021 and 2022. He is in contention to be a part of the Eagles’ squad at next year’s Rugby World Cup. Last month, McLean told specialist newspaper Midi Olympique he had made mistakes earlier in his life but was no longer the same person.
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