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To quote "March 30, 2007: In the Footy Show , former AFL All-Australian Jonathan Hay opens up about his illicit drug use and the mental illness he suffers from"

AFL News - Hay admits to illicit drug use

March 29, 2007 3:00pm
by By Daryl Timms
Source: HeraldSun

FORMER All-Australian full-back Jonathan Hay admitted last night he took illicit drugs for three years while he was a player at Hawthorn.
Hay said he experimented with the drugs from the age of 19 to 21, before also admitting that the Kangaroos made him go on national television to reveal his mental illness to "justify his horror year".

He controversially announced his retirement in February, but strongly implied in an interview on Channel 9's The Footy Show (AFL) last night that he had been forced to retire.

In a bombshell interview Hay also revealed he had suffered from bipolar disorder for five years at Hawthorn.

He said he didn't want to play and hated every second of last season, which he said was the toughest time of his life.

He recorded some personal-best times running at pre-season training and wanted to prove that he could play, but believed his medication to treat depression had affected his motor skills.

Hay even revealed he'd been stalked by a man while at Hawthorn who had sent homosexuals to his home.

His manager has been approached about him playing again in 2008, but he is unlikely to accept any offer.

Hawthorn first knew of Hay's illness in 2005 when he revealed the medication he was on to treat depression after being drug tested after a game.

Hay, 27, said he had had his fair share of illicit drugs in his younger years but grown out of it quickly.

Hay, who made his debut with Hawthorn in 1997 and was traded to the Roos before the 2006 season, said he thought most young people experimented with drugs.

"It's not worth the aftermath of coming down from all the drugs, especially when I found out where my head was at," he said.

"There was was a huge no-go zone for me. I experimented with recreational drugs at 19, 20, maybe 21 and that was it."

Hay said there was no doubt drugs were a problem in football with young players earning huge cash.

Sports doctor Peter Larkins told the Herald Sun last night taking illicit drugs could trigger depression.

Hay said 2006 was the toughest year of his life because of his mental illness.

"I don't think people understand mental illness until they go through it," he said. "You have some pretty dark days and I'm not going to sit here and tell you some of the thought processes I had, but I had some pretty intense thoughts.

"When you are your worst you can't get out of bed. You can't do the simple things in life. Just to unpack my footy bag was so much of an issue for me and I just couldn't get up and do it."

Hay said he didn't believe he or Hawthorn should have told the Roos about his bipolar because he'd played good footy with the Hawks.

"I didn't want to come out about my mental illness at all. Who wants to come out and tell people this is what you are going through, your deepest, darkest secrets?" he said.

"The Kangaroos wanted to go national on TV and explain why (I was playing so badly) and I can understand why. It was justification for their members and supporters as to why they picked me up and why I wasn't performing.

"The real pity was that I picked myself up after the 2006 season and got on top of things and was in really good shape mentally and physically.

"I wanted to have one more year where I could show the football public I could actually play. As things turned out I didn't get the opportunity."