Former Ram Shane opens up on mental health and addiction
A FORMER Derby County footballer has spoken about his struggles with addiction and mental health.
Shane Nicholson, who made 74 appearances for the Rams between 1992 and 1996, was speaking at an event at the Pirelli Stadium in Burton.
More than 100 people from across the country headed to Burton Albion’s ground to take part in a special Men’s Voices event that took place close to International Men’s Day yesterday
Nicholson, who also played for West Bromwich Albion and Chesterfield, spoke at the event on Tuesday alongside adventurer Alex Staniforth, who spoke about resilience, mental health and wellbeing and his mountaineering exploits.
Nicholson was suspended from football during his time with West Brom by the FA in 1997 for taking performance-enhancing and recreational drugs.
He had a successful three-month rehab stint at Marchwood Priory in Hampshire. His ban was lifted in 1998 and he went on to play for Chesterfield, Stockport County and Boston United.
He has since become highly regarded as a fitness trainer and motivational speaker and had been part of Wayne Rooney’s backroom team at Derby. However, he said in October that he was among those made redundant as the administrators made cuts to the staff.
The 51-year-old now regularly goes in to football clubs to talk about his experiences as part of the Sporting Chances campaign.
Alex Staniforth is a climber, best known for the book Icefall, about his attempts to be one of the youngest climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
The event was run by Central England
Co-op, which puts on a range of talks and workshops around subjects including mental health, physical health and lifestyle.
James Knight, community relations officer for Central England Co-op, said: “I am so proud to have been involved in a great event designed to highlight topics ranging from mental health to lifestyle.
“This event allowed like-minded men from all walks of life to come together to debate, discuss and learn how we can support one another.
“Events like these allow everyone involved to use their voices to talk about their successes as well as the challenges they face.”