Former Wexford FC player Conor English has opened up about the mental health struggles that he has been coping with for a considerable length of time.
The Kilkenny man surprisingly decided against remaining with Wexford for the 2021 season. Despite having an extended spell of good form last year, English has cited his mental health problems as the reasoning behind him stepping aside.
He said: “The main reason why I took the step back was that my own mental health has suffered badly for the last eight months.
“I’ve always suffered from my mental health since I was a teenager and last year, I took a bad turn with it and completely crashed.”
English suggested that playing football simply wasn’t enough for him and although everything may seem fine to the outside world, his struggles showed no sign of fading.
“A lot of people say that going up to the pitch may make your troubles go away, but it’s much more than that.
“If that was the case, I wouldn’t have any problems. I think that’s why I wanted to open up and tell my story because nobody sees your inner thoughts or experiences,” said English.
https://t.co/tDIDZAIdf3 pic.twitter.com/5JABuUc6f6
— Conor English (@ConorEnglish1) March 23, 2021
The former Evergreen and Freebooters player described the rationale behind his choice to leave League of Ireland football.
“Leaving Wexford is what’s best for me. I was kicking the can down the road for a long time and didn’t get the professional help that I needed.
“It’s still a struggle of mine at the moment but I’m sure it will come right eventually. I just wanted to make people aware of problems that other people have.”
Listen to the interview below on Scoreline Extra: