Angus Crichton has opened up on the mental health battle and rumours that plagued the past 12 months of his life, with the Roosters veteran telling all in a new interview.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald on the eve of the new NRL season, the former NSW back-rower explained the manic episode that saw him admitted to a psychiatric facility in France, just weeks after lifting the World Cup trophy with Australia.
The 28-year-old was seen as one of the sport's elite forwards at the end of the 2022 season, with his spot in the Tricolours, Blues and Kangaroos lineup locked in.
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But now, Crichton has explained how his life was turned upside-down and the events that unfolded, including his diagnosis with bipolar disorder and use of magic mushrooms during a holiday in Amsterdam.
"The police had just tasered me … they strapped me to this stretcher and tasered me. Imagine if you had a bunch of policemen and paramedics trying to strap you to a bed for what you thought was no reason," he said.
"My dad had called them because he was scared.
"It's called a manic episode. I was just manic. I wasn't sleeping. I wasn't thinking clearly or making good decisions. No one got hurt, no one got injured, but I was super energetic and very different to my normal self.
"When I was in Amsterdam, nothing happened in terms of a reaction. We had a great time. When I was in France, I was sober. I wasn't even drunk. I had no substances there at all, but that was when the wheels started to fall off a bit.
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"It's taken for me to get to where I am now to realise that I actually did need to be protected from myself. The toughest thing was gaining everyone's honest trust and belief back. I think everyone was so on edge for a long time after that."
Crichton's parents would fly over to France to be with their son before they returned to Australia and began a lengthy, complicated road to recovery.
But with his public persona and question marks flying across the NRL, rumours began to swirl and Crichton has now finally addressed some of them.
"I had the outside world trying to figure out what the hell was going on," he said.
"It became a bit of a circus. People creating ridiculous rumours. I heard about the text messages. It was crazy. A lot of it wasn't true and it was tarnishing my reputation. It was some of the most far-fetched things.
"I can tell you now, I haven't put on a Souths shirt since I left the club. Saying that I rocked up to training in a Souths jersey asking where Madge [former Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire] was. That just flat out didn't happen."
Crichton won't play in the Roosters' season opener in Las Vegas but has travelled with the squad and is looking to get his rugby league career back on track.
"I'm definitely a more resilient person for what I went through," he said.
"And if my time at the Roosters is coming to an end, I want to leave with people thinking, 'That Angus Crichton is a bloody good player'. I'm working to get that.
"I'm working to put a bit of respect back on my name."
If you or anyone you know needs immediate support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or via lifeline.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.
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