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Jack Whatmough: Preston defender opens up on his struggles with alcohol and gambling while injured

Preston North End defender Jack Whatmough has opened up on his struggles with alcohol and gambling while sidelined through injury; warning: contains content of a distressing nature. If you are affected by this story, please visit sky.com/viewersupport

Thursday 19 December 2024 08:03, UK

"I think my hardest conversation was when my wife said she didn't really recognise me."

Preston North End defender Jack Whatmough has opened up on his struggles with alcohol and gambling while sidelined with injuries throughout his career.

Whatmough suffered three severe knee injuries in the space of four years while at Portsmouth, where his professional career began, before eventually moving to Deepdale in 2023 after making over 100 appearances for Pompey across nine years.

"I suffered three big injuries quite close together and I was young and too naive to understand what I was going to go through, what my body was going to go through, and more importantly how my mind would react to having football taken away from me," Whatmough said on the One on One podcast.

"I suffered quite a lot and football's a big buzz for us athletes, so when that gets taken away you start looking for it in a different way.

"I learned that but probably when it was a little bit too late."

The now 28-year-old spent 17 months on the sidelines after picking up his first injury but admitted problems did not start to arise until the setbacks later on in his career, as he rushed his recovery and slipped into bad habits while at home.

"I was in a brace not moving my knee bending it or straightening it. It was just locked for three months," he added.

"I was doing stuff that was so out of character for me. Gambling and drinking more than I ever do and I'm not a big drinker, so that's when I sort of realised that something was wrong and I sat down with my wife now and spoke with her.

"I think my hardest conversation was my wife said she didn't really recognise me."

While the support of family and friends was needed, Whatmough revealed he only started making real progress after turning to the Professional Footballers' Association for regular meetings.

"There was a lot of avenues that you can go down but the one that I used was the PFA and I sat and spoke with them," he said.

"It was more just an understanding of why I felt how I did and how I could change what I was doing."

Whatmough would go on to have hour-long meetings for up to 10 weeks, where he first opened up on the problems he was dealing with as he battled to get back to full fitness.

Jeff Whitley, who is part of the PFA's well-being department, also spoke to the One on One podcast about the work they are now doing with players.

"One of the things that we really, really push on is around the education, around well-being, the ups and downs and the pitfalls of the industry," he said.

"We're not second-guessing what players are actually struggling with in this day and age. That really helps us - then we can look at the services that we're actually providing and what support is needed."

The ability to communicate openly with others has since armed him with the necessary coping mechanisms to deal with previously problematic situations in the future - and he has now set his sights on helping others who are experiencing similar problems.

He continued: "Talking is a big one and being open and using the people around you.

"I think there's such a big stigma and ego about blokes having to be brave and not needing help. One of the best things I've ever done was was get help and now I'm happy to have conversations with anyone and open up."

If you are worried that you are drinking too much, there is support available. Find out about your options.

If you are affected by the topics in this article visit GamCare, the leading UK provider of free information, advice and support for anyone harmed by gambling.