Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DANNY SCULTHORPE I sobbed and told my family I was a failure,that I was in mental trauma and thought about taking my own life RL LEGEND OPENS UP TO HELP PREVENT TRAGEDIES LIKE HIS PAL TERRY NEWTON
DANNY SCULTHORPE believes that opening up about his battle against depression and a suicide attempt can prevent tragedies like that of his mate Terry Newton.
Sculthorpe reveals the full details of his own ordeal in a new book “Highs, Lows and Hypos”, including buying enough painkillers to “kill 10 men” at his lowest point.
The former Wigan, Castleford and Wakefield prop did not go through with the attempt and instead poured out his feelings to his family.
He also cites the work of Tony Adams’ charity Sporting Chance in helping him to turn around his life.
But former Wigan teammate Newton did kill himself in September 2010 – leading to the establishment of the State of Mind movement that Sculthorpe now supports.
He remembers exactly where he was when another former team-mate Danny Brough called him to tell him the news about Great Britain international Newton.
Sculthorpe, 38, wrote: “We exchanged the usual greetings and then he asked me if I’d heard about Terry.
“Tez was one of my best mates and was always up to something or other so I jokingly said, ‘What’s he been up to now?’ Danny replied with, ‘He’s hung himself.’
“I was in Oldham buying a crate of beer because I was off to my folks for a meal. I was so shocked I just left the beer there and walked out of the shop with
Danny still on the phone.
“We said goodbye and I tried to phone
Terry to see if it was true. I couldn’t get hold of him. I still remember that phone call with Danny now
– it was a terrible moment and one I will never forget.
“Tez was one of my best mates, but he couldn’t open up to anyone to say what was on his mind. I was devastated. His family were too, as was the whole rugby league community.
“I miss Terry all the time and think about him a lot.
“I think about his kids growing up without him and realise that might have been the situation for our children. Thankfully it wasn’t and now I am helping to stop others taking that option.”
Sculthorpe says talking to his family at his low point saved his life. He added: “I explained everything. I sobbed and cried and told them how I was a failure, how I’d let them all down and how it would be better for them if I was dead.
“I described the thoughts and mental trauma going through my brain and told them how I’d contemplated taking my own life.
“And that was the point at which I started to get better.”