The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
‘Who sees if your mind is broken,’ asks widow?
The widow of a local footballer says she hopes some good can come from his death with greater support for young men battling mental health issues.
Jayson Alexander was just 32 years old when he died last month. The former L ochee United player was a husband, father and a friend to many.
His untimely death is a stark reminder of just how “fragile” mental health can be, says his widow Lynsey.
She said if there is “some comfort” to come out of the tragedy it would be for more aw a r e n e s s and support for mental health to be put in place.
She said: “Although the whole issue of mental health has become more known nowadays, I still don’t think it is understood just how life-threatening mental health problems are. If you’ve got a broken leg there is something to fix it but if you have a broken mind, nobody can see it’s broken.
“Sometimes even the person with a broken mind doesn’t know.
“The passing of my husband has affected many people and has also highlighted how fragile mental health can be. The result of this – especially in young people and young men in particular – is very worrying.”
Despite facing his own issues, Morgan FP Amateur player Jayson had always done his best for fellow footballers who found themselves struggling.
Lynsey said: “Jayson’s team has suffered more than most and anything that can help to stop this happening again has my full support.
“If more awareness of mental health can be put in place from the loss of Jayson, it would give some comfort knowing it has helped others.”
Fo l l o w i n g Jayson ’s funeral last week there was an outpouring of grief and also a plea for change.
Vicki Cairney, the wife of Jayson’s team-mate John, said her perception of football had changed as a result of the “suppor t network” she had seen after the midfielder’s death.
She said it was more than just “kicking a ball about”.
She wrote on social media: “In recent days, given everything that happened, I’ve realised just how important the game is.
“There has maybe been a case of myself moaning in the past that football takes time away from the family.
“In seeing the way that support network has helped these lads I realised for the first time that so much more than kicking a ball about.
“I just wanted to share my own thoughts and it’s had a great response. Men’s mental health is so important nowadays.
“There is a need from partners and wives to be more supportive of men playing football opposed to just seeing it as time away from the family.”
Projec ts such as the charity Back Onside are working with Morgan FP to help Jayson’s team-mates cope with their loss.
The charity primarily focuses on trying to address some of the problems with mental health in the modern game.
L ibby Emme r son founded the organisation in 2018 after she attempted to take her own life and was saved by a footballer.
Through its patrons and it is just ambassadors across Scotland – including Dundee-born former Aberdeen player Jamie Winter – the charity has been working on “changing room chats” to share stories and get people talking.
Libby said: “Every club we work with we’ ve encountered three or four players who are facing problems. The service is completely confidential. Even if it is just a chat with someone outwith their family we are able to assess if they maybe need more support in the form of counselling.
“I thought the message from Vicki Cairney was very powerful.
“About 60% of the folk we are working with just now are in the Dundee area. Some of those people are in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with us or just drop in-sessions.’’