It was a bizarre, somewhat shocking headline to see pop-up on our screens on Tuesday afternoon.
“Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson arrested and charged with trafficking ice”.
Leaving us scratching our heads asking how? How did a man who achieved it all in his footballing career fall this far? How was it possible that a three-time premiership player, two-time grand final winning coach found himself standing in front of a judge with the threat of jail time? How did it come to this?
Shocking details have been spreading out about the alarming extent of Thompson’s involvement with illicit drugs that has seen him charged with seven offences relating to trafficking and possession.
Thompson’s prudent image and character which he crafted over his illustrious career have taken a beating over the past years due to the Essendon drugs saga consuming his life, leaving him revealing the burden of the issue “will probably end up killing me because I can’t let it go”.
The circumstances at the moment appear desperate and capture an almighty downfall for one of the game’s most recognisable faces. But Mark Thompson’s association with drugs is another predicament that adds to a growing list of AFL players who have been caught up in drug activity.
Former Carlton player Chris Yarran last year told how he had battled an ice addiction and that it ‘ruined’ his life. Yarran admitted to experimenting with ice after being introduced by a family member whilst still playing at the time, but the physical and mental health issues that followed ultimately forced the then 25-year-old to abruptly quit his playing career.
Lesser known football player Justin Murphy also experienced issues with the drug ice in his post playing career. Capped 185 times across four clubs, Murphy was sentenced to six months in jail on separate charges where the court heard that Murphy had previously struggled with substance abuse after retiring from footy.
Perhaps the most prominent case of drugs crippling footy identities is Ben Cousins. The former West Coast Eagles star who achieved all the top accolades including a Brownlow Medal in 2005 and a Premiership the following year has battled a very public drug problem.
Playing out in the public eye Cousins footballing career came to a premature end, but most importantly his life outside of football has been riddled with offences and stints in jail.
(AAP Image/Bohdan Warchomij)
The trend developing indicates much more of a concern in society than towards a correlation between football players and a drugs culture.
The myriad of incidents reveals how players and coaches alike struggle with the transition from professional sporting athlete, where they become accustomed to a care-free lifestyle, to becoming an ordinary citizen among society.
The temptations that arise in periods of hardship offer footballers an escape to dealing with their assimilation back into society. It’s clear that Mark Thompson’s current plight is not an isolated incident, however the impact and widespread media attention the story has and will continue to receive offers an opportunity to those within the position of power to realise the no-discriminatory nature of drugs.
The accessibility and consumption rates that are communicated by the aforementioned players are mere faces of an epidemic that encapsulate a wider issue that’s not exclusive to sporting stars, but to all of Australia.
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