‘I played for Newcastle – I’d get by on £5 some weeks after gambling my wages away’
Karl Colley revealed he struggled with depression off the pitch during his controversial playing career and was sometimes left with just £5-a-week to survive on due to his gambling problems
A Newcastle United player says he lived on just £5-a-week after gambling his wages away.
Karl Colley signed his first professional football contract with his hometown club Sheffield Wednesday as a 17-year-old. He made a dream move to Newcastle as a youngster during Sir Bobby Robson’s tenure, where he played under Peter Beardsley in the reserves.
But the defender struggled mentally with his move to a new city. That set his decline into motion as he dropped down the English football pyramid until he was playing in Non-League for the likes of Halifax Town and Goole.
Now Colley has shed light on the depression he endured as a player. He spoke candidly about putting on a cheerful demeanour around team-mates but secretly struggling with the impact of his gambling addiction for the remainder of his weeks.
He told Undr The Cosh podcast: “I was surrounded by gambling growing up. My dad was a gambler, my grandad and uncle were gamblers too. My dad used to leave me outside the bookies but you couldn’t see what was going on inside. You could just hear the commentary, I was always intrigued.
“When I’d leave Newcastle’s training ground, the only place I’d feel safe was the bookmakers. I was like a lost kid in a big city. When I’m at the bookmakers for hours on end I’m obviously gambling more money and it’s getting worse – but that’s my safe place.”
He explained how he would place a bet every 30 seconds, adding: “When I was betting nothing else mattered. That’s when you know you have a problem. My month’s wages would be gone in a week, maybe less. Thousands of pounds. I remember living on a fiver at Newcastle some weeks.”
Colley was once sacked by Sheffield United, before suffering the same fate at Goole after he tried to punch a fan while playing for the East Yorkshire side in January 2014. Then 30, Colley was yelled at by a Coalville Town supporter, prompting him to storm into the stands and throwing a punch.
The former captain was fined and axed by the club. He has faced two banning orders from stadiums, initially facing a six-year ban before facing another five-year ban, which ends this summer.
Colley explained how his struggles with gambling continued during his time in Non-League, adding: “I was just playing to pick up money, that’s all I’ve ever known, playing for money. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind, I was still gambling, still suffering from depression.
“Nobody was aware of it because I hadn’t opened up yet. People knew I was a gambler but the depression and where my head was at – nobody knew.
“You’d see me on a Saturday and I’d be smiling and laughing with a few quid in my pocket. Nobody saw me struggling the other six days a week, f***ing breaking down and facing my demons.”
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