ODUBAJO OPENS UP IN MESSAGE TO SEEK HELP
MOSES ODUBAJO is only 28 but has experienced a lifetime of anguish.
His mother passed away when he was just 12. He and his two brothers were left to fend for themselves, his eldest sibling eventually ending up in prison.
He has also experienced a potential career-ending injury, suffered when he was on the cusp of reaching the Premier League.
Ahead of World Mental Health Day tomorrow, Odubajo has opened up about his struggles in the hope that doing so can persuade others to get help.
The Queens Park Rangers defender points to the dislocated kneecap he suffered in July 2016 as the time when his mental health began to deteriorate.
He had just helped Hull seal a return to the top flight after a play-off final win at Wembley, but never played for the Tigers again.
“There were cracks in my life I didn’t realise I needed to deal with,” said Odubajo. “Later they would become a major issue.
“I had a setback four months down the line from my injury. I was practically two weeks away from returning and playing in the Premier League. The setback required another surgery, then things flipped.
“My brain deteriorated in a way where the things that meant so much to me before, they stopped meaning anything.
“I found temporary happiness in different things off the pitch to try and fix deep-rooted issues. My family life wasn’t great, I didn’t respect my partner at all and I avoided family.”
After a long time in rehab, Odubajo returned to playing when he rejoined old club Brentford – and realised he needed to confront his issues.
“I sat down with my partner. For two years it wasn’t great, and she suggested we should go to therapy. For the first three sessions I sat there like a closed book.
“Then in the fourth the therapist asked her to leave the room. She asked me about my childhood and that’s when I started unravelling pieces to the puzzle.”
Odubajo says the sessions proved vital in him being able to move forward, therapy making him realise the traumatic situation he and his brothers went through was not properly dealt with.
He said: “We were left to fend for ourselves.
“Now, when I look back to my childhood I see myself as being blessed and am grateful. Before I used to think we did what we had to do and there wasn’t a time to dwell on things.
“The therapist told me that it wasn’t a healthy way to deal with it. Going into those sessions was my comfort area and a release from the world.”
Thankfully, Odubajo is loving football again at QPR. “It’s always a work in progress,” he added. “But I’m definitely in a better mental space than I was.”
The EFL and its clubs will again come together with charity partner, Mind, to collectively recognise World Mental Health Day tomorrow. Across the week, EFL Clubs will ‘Do One Thing’ as an act of kindness to someone deserving within their local communities with Mind campaigning that if we all do one thing to fight for mental health, we can change everything.