SPECIAL TALENT, VULNERABLE GUY

Rodgers hopes Griffiths can draw a line under his issues and recover with the club’s support

AT the age of 21, Scott Davies earned a six-figure wage for playing professional football. His life was everything young men aspire to.

Brendan Rodgers believed in his ability. Yet the then-manager of Reading had nagging concerns over his application. Davies was missing training and, when he did show up, was first out the door.

Eventually, Rodgers became curious enough to ask what the hurry was... and discovered the player’s need to throw more of his money at a bookmaker.

‘I said that I had a dentist appointment,’ claimed Davies in an interview. ‘He asked me to prove it to him. He passed me his phone and told me to call them. I couldn’t do that because obviously I was telling a lie...’

In an age of telephone-number salaries and 24-hour gambling, managers now spend less time coaching players. These days, they are social worker, counsellor, psychologist and sage.

When it comes to the demons gripping Leigh Griffiths, the Celtic manager has been all four.

‘This is called the experiential curve,’ Rodgers said yesterday, having revealed that his striker had been referred for professional assessment and rehabilitation after struggling with ‘ongoing issues’ off the field.

‘And my experience tells me that what is most important is the person.

‘Forget Leigh Griffiths the football player. It’s him as a human being.

‘Help him find that happiness and then life looks a lot brighter.’

Issues surrounding Griffiths and gambling have been one of Scottish football’s worst-kept secrets. Rodgers is deliberately vague on the exact problems facing the striker, but insists they can’t be pinned on any single thing.

A recovering alcoholic who established the Sporting Chance clinic to help footballers with addictions, former Arsenal defender Tony Adams once admitted he knew how to play football, but no longer knew who he was.

Rodgers hopes that by seeking treatment for a myriad of unspecified off-field and ongoing problems, Griffiths will cease living a lie and recover to be the player he once was.

‘For guys who have issues, you ask them what their best day was and it’s when it all comes out,’ added the Celtic boss.

‘I remember talking to a player who had huge gambling issues and when I quizzed him on what was the best feeling, he said it was when his wife caught him because that finished it — and he could start to make himself better.

‘Until that point, he was living a lie.

‘Sometimes that can be your life. Now once it’s out there, hopefully it can draw a line under the issues for Leigh — and the club, players, fans can all support him and give him time to become better.’

Griffiths is no stranger to front-page headlines. He has five children by three different mothers. In 2013, he was cleared of stealing drink from Tesco but was fined £100 for committing a breach of the peace and struggling with members of staff.

A year later, he was captured singing a song which called former Hearts midfielder Rudi Skacel ‘a refugee’ on video in an Edinburgh pub and charged by the SFA. In September, he was found guilty of speeding in Dundee.

Celtic tolerate the nonsense for one reason; he scores goals. Indeed, only three months ago the striker was handed a new four-year contract.

‘With Leigh, you know where he is at because of his behaviour and his actions and I have talked openly a lot with him,’ continued Rodgers. ‘What you have here is a vulnerable guy but who is a special talent.

‘It would have been very easy to say: “Oh, you’re a pain in the backside, just move on”. But you know he is a good guy who just needs help.

‘He is a football talent and I have always said that at big clubs, where there is competition, you need three strikers.

‘I always thought he would be one of those, hence the reason why he got a new deal.’

Celtic’s hope that the new contract might provide a quick fix didn’t quite work out that way.

Gambling issues can quickly spiral out of control, the stress and psychological strain making the burden of playing for a high-pressure football club intolerable. Something happened recently off the pitch — and the rumours are many — which persuaded Celtic to seek help.

‘I think a few of the guys were probably aware of it,’ said Rodgers. ‘A couple of the senior players rang me when I got to know about an incident that happened. I was then able to act from there.

‘Leigh’s a great guy. He is what he is. I love that about him. He’s a little rogue, he’s cunning. If there’s a different or short way to do it, he’ll do it. But I like that in players at times. Lots of supporters will relate to him.

‘We’re hoping we can help him and get him back to doing what he does best, which is enjoying his life, being a father to his kids and showing his talent on the field.

‘But it is no good everyone else wanting it for you. You have to want to do it.’

Griffiths is not the first Scottish footballer to succumb to gambling problems and won’t be the last. Adams has warned betting is now an epidemic amongst players.

Former Motherwell winger Kevin Twaddle lost £1million. Frank McGarvey and Andy Ritchie had serious issues at a time when men were expected to fight their demons privately. More recently, John Hartson, Kyle Lafferty and Paul McGowan have all spoken about their problems.

‘For men, in years gone by, talking about these things was viewed as a weakness,’ acknowledged Rodgers. ‘At least now that’s been broken and it’s no longer a weakness.

‘And whatever actions that take place, there is genuine help there, instead of it being brushed under the carpet.

‘Just because you are a talented sportsman, it doesn’t mean you are not vulnerable. In my experience, sometimes the higher-profile players can be the most vulnerable.

‘There’s so much more to lose. The guys who have been given great talent, they are not immune because they earn X amount of pounds.

‘They are as open to any issues as the regular guy on the street.

‘As a society, there’s much more done now to help these kinds of struggles.

‘(For Leigh), just get away from football, don’t even think about it if you can, just rest. Let’s get you on the path to recovery...’

Whatever you’re going through, you can call the Samaritans free any time, from any phone on 116 123. They are there round the clock, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This number is FREE to call.

Forget Leigh Griffiths the footballer. It’s him as a human being