'Macho' players need help fighting mental health issues - Gascoigne

Gascoigne said football's "macho" culture often deterred players who are constantly in the public limelight from seeking help.

'Macho' players need help fighting mental health issues - Gascoigne

(Reuters)





His appeal comes after Everton winger Aaron Lennon was detained under Britain's Mental Health Act last week because of concerns for his welfare.

"There needs to be more done – especially with the guys. It's a macho thing. They think, 'Nah, I'm not doing this because no one will like us'," Gascoigne told ITV's Good Morning Britain.

Gascoigne said he himself was going through his "worst year ever" following the death of his cousin but that he was now looking forward to a "happy and sober future".

"Sometimes I'm in a good mood and then all of a sudden I wake up and I've got a bottle of gin and I think 'where's that come from?'."

"You look at the Everton player (Lennon), who's just been sectioned ... There's a lot of people who have got everything, but inside they don't share enough," Gascoigne said.

Last week, the Professional Footballers' Association said 178 current and former players had started using a dedicated service to provide help on mental health so far this year, more than in the whole of last year.

"Sometimes their ego's getting battered," he added. "With me, sometimes I needed my ego to be battered and squashed. That's the only way of going forward - by talking about it."





(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; editing by Richard Lough)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world