Topic: Mental health within professional sports

[RyanBabel19]

Not sure whether this thread will remain open but i've just seen Delle Alli has done an interview with Gary Neville in which he speaks quite openly and frankly on his struggles with his mental health, stating at one point at 24 years of age he stood and stared at himself in the mirror wondering whether he could retire now. For the record before I continue i'm currently watching the interview and i'm very early into it but seeing a couple of clips in it sparked some thought on mental health in sports in general.

I've struggled hugely with my mental health over the years due to past traumas and it's all consuming sometimes, having to hide how you're feeling, keep up appearances and pretend everything is okay is crushing and that's just on a personal day to day level, when I think about having to do that in public spaces while famous and being shamed for your struggles, it makes me hope to never reach fame.

We've seen many examples of famous sports people clearly struggling and having specific expectations placed upon them and there seems to be this widely held belief that 'this is the price of fame' or 'this is what you signed up for'. Personally I understand some small things being seen as obligations but some of the expectations do feel insane to me and I think sometimes things are pushed too far.

In light of this new interview and the increased discussion around mental health, what do people think of the way this kind of thing is handled within sport? The chants, the expectations, the criticism and online abuse. What do you all feel is part and parcel of sport and what crosses a line for you personally?

I get the competitive side and the general nature of competition and wanting to win, but I think far too often it's forgotten that all of these sportspeople are just human beings doing their jobs, some of the things I see are disgusting from so called fans of sports.

[Barneylfc∗]

https://news.sky.com/story/dele-alli-former-england-footballer-reveals-he-was-sexually-abused-aged-six-12920209

Footballer Dele Alli has revealed he was sexually abused when he was six years old.

The footballer, 27, told Gary Neville's YouTube channel The Overlap: "At six I was molested."

Alli, who returned to Everton in April, opened up about his difficult childhood and how it pushed him to attend a rehab facility in the US.

"I was sent to Africa to learn discipline and then I was sent back.

"At seven I started smoking and then at eight I started selling drugs.

"An older person told me they wouldn't stop a kid on a bike so I'd ride around with my football and underneath I'd have drugs.

"At 11 I was hung off a bridge by a guy from the next estate. A man.

"By 12 I was adopted but from then it was like I was adopted by an amazing family."

Alli said he entered a rehab facility for six weeks in recent months for an addiction to sleeping tablets and excessive drinking.

"It's been going on for a long time without me realising it, I was doing [it] to numb the feelings I had - I didn't realise I was doing it for that purpose," he said.

"It's probably a problem not only I have, I think it's going around more than people realise in football.

"I’ve definitely abused them too much. It got really bad at some points and I didn’t understand how bad it was but I was never dealing with the root of the problem - when I was growing up the traumas I had, the feelings I had and I tried to deal with it all by myself," he said.

"I lost myself for a few years."

People really need to stop looking at how much money someone has and suggesting they can buy their way out of mental health issues. It's disgusting.

[CraigDS]

People really need to stop looking at how much money someone has and suggesting they can buy their way out of mental health issues. It's disgusting.

Yup. Is such a ridiculous thing to suggest that someone having money somehow protects them from mental illness.

[Dubred]

You always felt the fall from grace for Alli was more than met the eye.  More than just a player got bored/ too rich/ partying etc etc.

Really feel for the fella.

[tubby]

Make his career trajectory more understandable now, lots of shit in his past that he's had to reconcile.

[Coolie High]

It’s amazing he even made to the level of professional football he did in the first place, given his struggles.

[andyrol]

regarding mental health, and with a sporting link. if anyone gets the chance to go to one of the 'state of mind' sessions hosted by ex rugby league player Jimmy Gittins and ex ref Ian Smith i strongly advise attending. down to earth presentation and i think they even do online sessions. check it out, great advice as well.  https://stateofmindsport.org/

[CornerFlag]

I feel like that's where the line needs to be drawn now with Dele Alli being a punchline for a lot of people (myself included) in terms of negative career trajectories.  I hope he's able to get the help he needs.

[Son of Spion]

Yup. Is such a ridiculous thing to suggest that someone having money somehow protects them from mental illness.

There is a falsehood that is constantly pushed that suggests money equals happiness and contentment. So we then get comments such as "s/he's rich, what have they got to be depressed and anxious about?"  It also leads to a lot of financially rich people feeling bewildered as to why they aren't actually happy.

It drives this madness where so many insecure people crave financial wealth as a means to fill the void and 'make them' happy. Thing is, even if they make it, they find out that although wealth can bring financial security, it still cannot buy self esteem and genuine happiness. It cannot protect you from mental health issues.

[jonnypb]

Never realised what Dele Alli has been through and huge respect to him speaking out. He had so much promise and then his career seemed to nose dive, much like Paul Stewart, both had the potential to be exceptional players, but their depression and past demons of what happened to them when they were younger has had a huge impact on  their lives.

Really hope Dele gets back on track and has many years left in the game.

[RyanBabel19]

Thanks for the replies guys, from memory I think this is the first time i’ve started a thread.

I really feel for Dele Alli and it’s yet another display of the fact you never really know what someones either been through or going through. His past sounds incredibly damaging and challenging for anyone, let alone a child.

Not to take it to a discussion of race but it does also filter into a real issue I have with the media and fans (less so but still to an extent) in that so many black or mixed race players are tarred with the ‘bad attitude’ brush. Many of these young lads come from levels of extreme trauma and these are things that have a lasting effect. Sometimes the perceived attitude problems are non existent and just create false narratives, in other instances many times it’s something young guys develop through their childhood experiences and the environment in which they have grown up, in these spaces if you are percieved to be weak you become a target so bravado almost becomes armour.

The interview was needed and full credit to him, everyones got an opinion and a lot of the, have been negative but despite this he’s come forward spoken openly and honestly and I think that deserves huge huge respect. I have unfortunately seen some awful replies to this story questioning why he deserves respect for the interview but some from Arsenal fans who hold a grudge because he represented tottenham and others just from people claiming the world gone soft likely without watching the interview, those replies say more about the people posting them than anything else. There are teams I dislike but things on a human level will always take precedent for me.

[norecat]

When I saw the headline this morning Paul Stewart popped into my head. Huge credit to Dele Alli for being so open. I will watch the interview later.

He still has time to have a glorious second half to his career and I hope he does. I wonder will Mourinho apologize to him?

[RyanBabel19]

When I saw the headline this morning Paul Stewart popped into my head. Huge credit to Dele Alli for being so open. I will watch the interview later.

He still has time to have a glorious second half to his career and I hope he does. I wonder will Mourinho apologize to him?

Going by the interview, Mourinho already has

[Coolie High]

Thanks for the replies guys, from memory I think this is the first time i’ve started a thread.

I really feel for Dele Alli and it’s yet another display of the fact you never really know what someones either been through or going through. His past sounds incredibly damaging and challenging for anyone, let alone a child.

Not to take it to a discussion of race but it does also filter into a real issue I have with the media and fans (less so but still to an extent) in that so many black or mixed race players are tarred with the ‘bad attitude’ brush. Many of these young lads come from levels of extreme trauma and these are things that have a lasting effect. Sometimes the perceived attitude problems are non existent and just create false narratives, in other instances many times it’s something young guys develop through their childhood experiences and the environment in which they have grown up, in these spaces if you are percieved to be weak you become a target so bravado almost becomes armour.

The interview was needed and full credit to him, everyones got an opinion and a lot of the, have been negative but despite this he’s come forward spoken openly and honestly and I think that deserves huge huge respect. I have unfortunately seen some awful replies to this story questioning why he deserves respect for the interview but some from Arsenal fans who hold a grudge because he represented tottenham and others just from people claiming the world gone soft likely without watching the interview, those replies say more about the people posting them than anything else. There are teams I dislike but things on a human level will always take precedent for me.

Good post, credit to Alli he even made it at all.

[Iska]

Best wishes to you RB. I think (and post) about Dele Alli quite a lot, I’ve never seen a genuinely top player just stop the way he did. There was so clearly something not right about it, it always pained me to see him used as a punchline. I hope this helps him to rebuild, and if he manages to make it back as a player, good for him.

[RyanBabel19]

Good post, credit to Alli he even made it at all.

100%

It’s a testament to him and his mental strength that he has made it to the level he has with the obstacles he has faced.

Best wishes to you RB. I think (and post) about Dele Alli quite a lot, I’ve never seen a genuinely top player just stop the way he did. There was so clearly something not right about it, it always pained me to see him used as a punchline. I hope this helps him to rebuild, and if he manages to make it back as a player, good for him.

Cheers man, really appreciate that.

It’s a sad story that upon viewing this interview will hopefully have a happy ending. It’s great he has reached out and got the help he needs. For far too long there’s been this stigma around mens mental health, that of professional sports people and that of black and mixed race men. It’s long been time for changes and I actually watched a great documentary from the rapper Konan (one half of the Croydon based rap duo Krept and Konan) on All4 about an adverse experience that actually left him with PTSD. Many young people dont even realise this is something they can have and the symptoms are things that are a lot more widespread than is discussed.

[spen71]

Marcus Trescothick was another one.    Lots of talent and his poor mental health affected his England career.    If I remember rightly he called it the beast inside

[MD1990]

It is incredible what he achieved.
PI have never envied people who are famous.
Lost of money & attention but it would be very stressfull

[mullyred94]

Jordon Ibe has had struggles aswell. Just goes to show money doesn’t buy happiness.

[PoetryInMotion]

There is a falsehood that is constantly pushed that suggests money equals happiness and contentment. So we then get comments such as "s/he's rich, what have they got to be depressed and anxious about?"  It also leads to a lot of financially rich people feeling bewildered as to why they aren't actually happy.

It drives this madness where so many insecure people crave financial wealth as a means to fill the void and 'make them' happy. Thing is, even if they make it, they find out that although wealth can bring financial security, it still cannot buy self esteem and genuine happiness. It cannot protect you from mental health issues.

The fact is that nobody knows what a someone has gone through in his/her life to get to a particular stage - whether that is financially, or becoming a celebrity or even getting to a reasonable position for that person, unless they come out with what they went through, or things come out.

I think it's better to be considerate of people, before we start making judgments from afar.

From a footballers' perspective, I don't think they deserve the abuse they get for various reasons (unless they are involved in criminal activities). Some fans push the boundaries too far, and I, for one, think, more has to be done in terms of social media patrolling - there's people spouting venom about those they know nothing about.

Well done to Alli to get this far, and I wish him to overcome his troubles.

[PoetryInMotion]

Marcus Trescothick was another one.    Lots of talent and his poor mental health affected his England career.    If I remember rightly he called it the beast inside

I enjoyed watching him bat. He was a wonderful player.

[spen71]

The fact is that nobody knows what a someone has gone through in his/her life to get to a particular stage - whether that is financially, or becoming a celebrity or even getting to a reasonable position for that person, unless they come out with what they went through, or things come out.

I think it's better to be considerate of people, before we start making judgments from afar.

From a footballers' perspective, I don't think they deserve the abuse they get for various reasons (unless they are involved in criminal activities). Some fans push the boundaries too far, and I, for one, think, more has to be done in terms of social media patrolling - there's people spouting venom about those they know nothing about.

Well done to Alli to get this far, and I wish him to overcome his troubles.

Didn’t Phil Jones delete all his social media?   Due to all the abuse he was getting?

[UntouchableLuis]

Football is bloody brutal whatever way you look at it. If anyone watched the Peter Crouch documentary on Prime recently, he faced horrendous abuse in his career, papers called him a lanky freak and he was booed by most of the ground at Old Trafford when making his England debut.

They do get a ridiculous amount of money but you still have to be really resilient and probably have to switch media and espr
ecially social media off. Can only imagine the death threats they receive and their family as well sometimes if they have a bad game.

[PoetryInMotion]

Didn’t Phil Jones delete all his social media?   Due to all the abuse he was getting?

Yes, he did mate.

[Ravishing Rick Dude]

There is a falsehood that is constantly pushed that suggests money equals happiness and contentment. So we then get comments such as "s/he's rich, what have they got to be depressed and anxious about?"  It also leads to a lot of financially rich people feeling bewildered as to why they aren't actually happy.

It drives this madness where so many insecure people crave financial wealth as a means to fill the void and 'make them' happy. Thing is, even if they make it, they find out that although wealth can bring financial security, it still cannot buy self esteem and genuine happiness. It cannot protect you from mental health issues.

I'd even say being rich is even worse for mental health since nobody around you is going to be honest with you, and nobody will truly listen. Everyone will tap you on the shoulder and hope you're going to reward them for that. Especially at this time and age where almost everyone is a greedy opportunist.

[Tonyh8su]

As someone who's gone through a lot of the issue that Dele shared about today, I think it's incredibly brave and inspiring that he's come out with this. He's an active Premier League footballer, don't recall us hearing anything like this before from an active player. Could make huge strides and I have no doubt it'll help many members of the general public as well.

I have massive, massive respect for him after this. Wish him nothing but the best in his continued recovery.

[Kashinoda]

Well done Alli, that took an incredible amount of guts.

[duffyg]

Typical Simon Jordan. Idiot.
https://twitter.com/Sjopinion10/status/1679448343909367812?s=20

[wheresnemeth]

I remember seeing an interview with him and a teamate a few years ago and something about him seemed off. It was like he didn't have a personality and seemed manufactured. I disliked him since then.
I felt like a bit of a shit after watching his latest interview. You never know what someone could be going through.

[Tonyh8su]

Typical Simon Jordan. Idiot.
https://twitter.com/Sjopinion10/status/1679448343909367812?s=20

You've spelt "c*nt" wrong, mate.

[AmanShah21]

This is why I hate football twitter. The way footballers are dehumanized because they make a lot of money is appalling. I've been guilty myself in the past of using words like deadwood etc. but over the years I have learned how wrong and disrespectful that is. I understand criticism of performances but the way these lads have to deal with personal attacks on a regular basis should not be okay.
Glad that he spoke out. Echoes so much with this Ted Lasso clip -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkRe056hKRY&ab_channel=WezzlSeries

[jillcwhomever]

Well done to the lad for having the courage to talk about this. With all mental health issues communication is so important. Hopefully he can get the help he obviously needs and begin to put his life back together.

[duffyg]

You've spelt "c*nt" wrong, mate.

He's deleted his tweet now

https://twitter.com/Sjopinion10/status/1679586718956044289?s=20

[Eeyore]

Well done to the lad for having the courage to talk about this. With all mental health issues communication is so important. Hopefully he can get the help he obviously needs and begin to put his life back together.

I just hope he is doing this because he wants to and hasn't been threatened by the gutter press.

[Elmo!]

Fair play to Alli, takes a lot of courage to do that.

I did find it jarring, in an interview about mental health and addiction in football, that it was "brought to you by Sky Bet".

[Legs]

https://news.sky.com/story/dele-alli-former-england-footballer-reveals-he-was-sexually-abused-aged-six-12920209


People really need to stop looking at how much money someone has and suggesting they can buy their way out of mental health issues. It's disgusting.

Top post Barney.

You have seen it in the past with high profile people who unfortunately go all the way and kill themselves that is why people/media need to back off people who haven’t done anything wrong.

[Romford_Red]

Whilst I am not suggesting that wealth itself does anything to alleviate or avoid mental health issues, one thing it does do is provide you with more options to get help.

One of the things Dele said was that he was standing in front of his mirror at 23 or 24 and wondering if he could retire. That's not an option many have.
As someone who has (and does) suffer from mental health issues, I know not having to work so I could concentrate on myself more, would go a long way towards helping.

Not having a go at him there, just an observation.

[Tonyh8su]

I just hope he is doing this because he wants to and hasn't been threatened by the gutter press.

He says at the start of the interview that he felt he had to speak now, only a few weeks after leaving rehab, because the press were contacting his people saying "we know where you were".

They are truly sub human scum.

[RyanBabel19]

Whilst I am not suggesting that wealth itself does anything to alleviate or avoid mental health issues, one thing it does do is provide you with more options to get help.

One of the things Dele said was that he was standing in front of his mirror at 23 or 24 and wondering if he could retire. That's not an option many have.
As someone who has (and does) suffer from mental health issues, I know not having to work so I could concentrate on myself more, would go a long way towards helping.

Not having a go at him there, just an observation.

I think that's slightly missing the point though.

Although technically its true it provides more options, framing the retirement comment like that suggests it's a positive thought, in reality it's I feel so empty I dont even want to do the only thing i've ever known... that's a terrifying feeling. What would the alternative have been? Likely sink into the vices and things that numbed the pain even more because he would then feel as though he had no purpose.

I fully get the 'not having to work' angle but in this case it's more not wanting to and that's in the context of a job he loves and even more than that likely something that was an escape from the troubles in his life and something that was a positive that brought a real sense of achievement and pride after probably being told repeatedly he would never be anything or make anything of his life. To no longer want to do what is likely what you hold up as your purpose is positively soul destroying and I think it's telling that this is a stand out moment from him that he mentions pretty much immediately

[Romford_Red]

I think that's slightly missing the point though.

Although technically its true it provides more options, framing the retirement comment like that suggests it's a positive thought, in reality it's I feel so empty I dont even want to do the only thing i've ever known... that's a terrifying feeling. What would the alternative have been? Likely sink into the vices and things that numbed the pain even more because he would then feel as though he had no purpose.

I fully get the 'not having to work' angle but in this case it's more not wanting to and that's in the context of a job he loves and even more than that likely something that was an escape from the troubles in his life and something that was a positive that brought a real sense of achievement and pride after probably being told repeatedly he would never be anything or make anything of his life. To no longer want to do what is likely what you hold up as your purpose is positively soul destroying and I think it's telling that this is a stand out moment from him that he mentions pretty much immediately

As someone who has broken down twice due to mental illness and also does a job that I LOVE, I don't think I'm missing the point at all.

I said, very clearly that I am not dismissing the issue he is facing and has faced. I was just saying that while I agree absolutely and completely that money cannot shield you from this, it absolutely DOES offer you more alternatives.

Simply that.