Dean Windass reveals suicide attempts

[Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ]

Dean Windass has admited he attempted suicide earlier this month after battling with alcohol and depression following his retirement two years ago.

The 42-year-old former Hull, Bradford, Middlesbrough and Aberdeen striker's professional career spanned 19 seasons.

Windass, who scored the goal that fired his home town club Hull into the top flight in 2008, told The People: "I have cried every day for two years.

"I took an overdose and, when that didn't work, I tried to hang myself."

Despite earning more than £500,000 a year at the height of his fame, Windass, who also helped Bradford win promotion to the Premier League (scoring 86 goals in two spells with the Bantams), said most of his money was now gone.

His 18-year marriage has broken up and, with little income and grieving for his recently deceased father John, he decided to take his own life.

"People outside football think we have it all," he said. "But I was in a hole that I honestly didn't know how to get out of.

"Just over a week ago, I hit rock bottom and decided to end it all.

"I need to sort myself out which is why I'm speaking out now. It's part of me getting better - part of the healing process.

"People have this image of me as this big strong man who can take anything life throws at him. But I'm not ashamed to say I wanted to end it after a string of setbacks.

"I knew I'd been a fool but I couldn't shake off the depression at feeling what a failure I'd become."

His first attempt was thwarted by a former girlfriend who turned up after he had tried to overdose on tablets.

The following day he tried to hang himself with a bedsheet.

"I tied it to a handrail at the top of the stairs but it was too long," he added.

"I was quite drunk and couldn't get it to work, so I got a belt instead. At that point a friend came round so I couldn't go through with it.

"We're not the brightest but you play football all your life. There are hundreds of footballers in the same boat. There is nothing to get up for in the morning.

"The Professional Footballers' Association or the governing body need to help us. I have hurt the people closest to me, so I've come out today and admitted I need help."

I imagine that a lot of footballers suffer depression when they hang up their boots. We can hope that Gary Speeds tragic death will help others by bringing more understanding of the situation. Fair play to Windass for speaking out about this.

 

[Diego Napier]

I imagine that a lot of footballers suffer depression when they hang up their boots. We can hope that Gary Speeds tragic death will help others by bringing more understanding of the situation. Fair play to Windass for speaking out about this.

At the risk of trivialising your excellent post, I imagine that a lot of Brighton footballers would suffer depression if they read all the negative stuff posted on NSC about them

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Terrible sad reading that in the papers today. The guy lost everything in 2 years and turned to the booze, lost his wife and is virtually broke. He imploded with a mixture of a loss of hope , loss of purpose and self hatred. He also was complicit in his situation which he bravely acknowleged. Get well Dean and keep plugging on. There really is no other way, well there is, but don't even think about it.

 

[Lord Bamber]

Really sad reading. Hope Dean get's through this and anyone else who might be in this situation. Dont suffer in silence people.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

A Man normally has a sense of being from his occupation, his ability to provide and the Woman by his side. If one of those goes let alone 3 it can be a very bad downward spiral. I have had all 3 so I can speak from being in his position. Its a tough deck of cards to play with. All you can do it dust yourself off every morning and NEVER give up hoping things will turn around. Life can turn at the drop of a hat. It can be brutal. Everyone who has family , love , support, a loyal and loving partner and a means to provide NEVER take this for granted. You are lucky.

 

[lichfield seagulls]

Really sad reading. Hope Dean get's through this and anyone else who might be in this situation. Dont suffer in silence people.

Big this

 

[1066familyman]

BBC iPlayer - HARDtalk: Graeme Obree - Former cycling World Champion

 

[Steveapps71]

Very brave to say this, good luck to him, depression and those dark clouds can surround anyone rich or poor

 

[Leekbrookgull]

A Man normally has a sense of being from his occupation, his ability to provide and the Woman by his side. If one of those goes let alone 3 it can be a very bad downward spiral. I have had all 3 so I can speak from being in his position. Its a tough deck of cards to play with. All you can do it dust yourself off every morning and NEVER give up hoping things will turn around. Life can turn at the drop of a hat. It can be brutal. Everyone who has family , love , support, a loyal and loving partner and a means to provide NEVER take this for granted. You are lucky.

Very well put,and when you look at sportsmen they spend years of dedication and then you are on the scrap heap. Most settle down to something else usually with family support. If you lose that then like you say you have problems.

 

[beardy gull]

At the risk of trivialising your excellent post, I imagine that a lot of Brighton footballers would suffer depression if they read all the negative stuff posted on NSC about them

Straight from the Geoff Boycott school of the understanding of depression.

(I can't keep my eyes away from that damn avatar)

 

[Sergei Gotsmanov]

This may come across a a very unsympathetic viewpoint but in this case part of me can't help but feel that this guy has earned a very good income during his career, has basically spunked the lot and now can't handle it. I know that depression is a very serious illness and have had first hand experience of it but there are many people out there who have had much more serious things happen in their life through no fault of their own which has pushed them to such extreme action. It seems to me that Mr Windass has ended up in this situation largely through his own actions. He isn't the first and won't be the last footballer to o this but there are people much more deserving of help and sympathy. I'm sure the PFA help pros plan for life after football and try to make them realise that they must plan for the future when their career is over. Are we supposed to feel sorry for people who ignore this support, spend a fortune and then wonder why their life is shit when it's gone? Try living in the real world. It's hard. No doubt his plea will find sympathy somewhere and the "jobs for the boys" network will swing into action. He'll probably end up on talksport.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Warren Aspinall went through a similar episode in his life after he stopped playing. People constantly take the piss out of him when he is a guest commentator on BBC SCR without any understanding.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Many suicide attempts are ill thought out and shambolic in their planning and execution , often beacuse of an ill mind and / or too much alcohol, drugs. Dean tried to hang hmiself with a bed sheet that was too long for the bannister he tied it to. One day, I hope, he will be able to laugh at this as that will be therapeutic. Also both times he tried to top himself he was " saved " with a ring at the doorbell. Sometimes I think all people are on this planet to serve a purpose and a greater force decided that he had not fulfilled his role.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

This may come across a a very unsympathetic viewpoint but in this case part of me can't help but feel that this guy has earned a very good income during his career, has basically spunked the lot and now can't handle it. I know that depression is a very serious illness and have had first hand experience of it but there are many people out there who have had much more serious things happen in their life through no fault of their own which has pushed them to such extreme action. It seems to me that Mr Windass has ended up in this situation largely through his own actions. He isn't the first and won't be the last footballer to o this but there are people much more deserving of help and sympathy. I'm sure the PFA help pros plan for life after football and try to make them realise that they must plan for the future when their career is over. Are we supposed to feel sorry for people who ignore this support, spend a fortune and then wonder why their life is shit when it's gone? Try living in the real world. It's hard. No doubt his plea will find sympathy somewhere and the "jobs for the boys" network will swing into action. He'll probably end up on talksport.

There is a condition called " self sabotage " whereby the individual desides to self implode due to self hatred and self loathing. Gazza suffers from it. No one who has been even close to walking the shoes that these men have are in no position to judge imo. Windass had this demon and the spiralling of everything in his life being lost brought it on.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Warren Aspinall went through a similar episode in his life after he stopped playing. People constantly take the piss out of him when he is a guest commentator on BBC SCR without any understanding.

Yes its very sad but Society is generally intolerant and cannot empathise as they have never been in his position.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

The situation is not helped by adult women* telling small boys 'Stop that silly crying. You're a big boy now'. Whether it's in a nursery or on a bus, it pains me whenever I hear that phrase that teaches males from a vulnerable young age that feeling sad is a not-OK emotion. When boys become men, many will store and carry that reluctance to express sorrow and unhappiness into adulthood, making it far less likely that they will seek the support they need.

* of course, many women are great in being nurturing to children. However, I've never yet heard a man use that phrase!

 

[Leekbrookgull]

The situation is not helped by adult women* telling small boys 'Stop that silly crying. You're a big boy now'. Whether it's in a nursery or on a bus, it pains me whenever I hear that phrase that teaches males from a vulnerable young age that feeling sad is a not-OK emotion. When boys become men, many will store and carry that reluctance to express sorrow and unhappiness into adulthood, making it far less likely that they will seek the support they need.

* of course, many women are great in being nurturing to children. However, I've never yet heard a man use that phrase!

Interesting post. There is nothing wrong in crying. Only a liar will deny it.

 

[Beach Hut]

A Man normally has a sense of being from his occupation, his ability to provide and the Woman by his side. If one of those goes let alone 3 it can be a very bad downward spiral. I have had all 3 so I can speak from being in his position. Its a tough deck of cards to play with. All you can do it dust yourself off every morning and NEVER give up hoping things will turn around. Life can turn at the drop of a hat. It can be brutal. Everyone who has family , love , support, a loyal and loving partner and a means to provide NEVER take this for granted. You are lucky.

Bit one way this, what if the man has another man by his side, is that not OK ?

Or the same for a woman ?

 

[Sergei Gotsmanov]

The Gazza situation, I think, is very different. Everyone could see that he has had a self destructive tendency throughout his whole career and beyond. I think the phrase Demons is very apt for Gazza. Dean Windass has had this happen to him in the 2 years since he retired. There is no suggestion that he had any problems until he retired.

I would guess that he and his wife lived a very cushty life for 20 odd years, wanting for nothing, living the football life, saving very little for the future. He finishes playing and doesn't have anything else to do. He has little money left and the missus doesn't like that because she is used to having everything she wants so she does one. He's then left with no money, no wife, then his dad dies. This is pretty rough and understandable triggers for alcholism and depression etc.

I feel sorry for Gazza as he has obvious psychological problems that have blighted him all his life, at the height of his fame and beyond. I have far less sympathy for Dean Windass who is dealing with the sudden realisation that he has f***ed up what should have been a very nice life and can't handle it.

 

[Working class pride]

Also not wishing to trivialise the post but how many Brighton fans thought about it after watching Cooper and Crumplin come on as a double substitution back in the day..