– I think the most difficult conversation for me was when my wife told me that she didn’t really recognize me.
Preston North End defender Jack Whatmough has opened up about his struggles with alcohol and gambling while sidelined with injuries throughout his career.
Whatmough suffered three serious knee injuries in the space of four years while at Portsmouth, where his professional career began, before finally moving to Deepdale in 2023 after making over 100 appearances for Pompey in nine years.
“I had three major injuries pretty close to one 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 the football taken away from me,” Whatmough said. on One on one podcast.
“I suffered a lot and football is a big face for us athletes, so when that is taken away, you start looking for it in a different way.
“I learned that, but probably when it was a little too late.”
The now 28-year-old spent 17 months on the sidelines after picking up his first injury, but admitted the problems didn’t start to set in until a setback later in his career, as he rushed his recovery and slipped into bad habits while at home.
Jack Whatmough (left) joined Preston in 2023, having previously played for Portsmouth and Wigan
“I was in a brace, I didn’t move the knee by bending or straightening it. It was just locked for three months,” he added.
“I was doing things that were so unusual for me. I was gambling and drinking more than ever, and I’m not a big drinker, so that’s when I realized something was wrong and I sat down with my wife and talked to her.
“I think the hardest conversation I had was when my wife said she didn’t really recognize me.”
Although it took support from family and friends, Whatmough found that it was only after he approached the Professional Footballers’ Association for regular meetings that he began to make real progress.
“There were a lot of ways you could go but the one I used was the PFA and I sat and talked to them,” he said.
“It was more just understanding why I feel the way I do and how I can change what I’m doing.”
Whatmough continued to hold hour-long meetings for up to 10 weeks, where he first spoke about the problems he was dealing with as he struggled to get back to full fitness.
Whatmough is now dedicated to helping others with similar problems
Jeff Whitley, who is part of the PFA’s welfare department, also spoke to One on one podcast about the work they are doing now with the players.
“One of the things we’re really, really pushing is around education, around the benefits, ups and downs and pitfalls of the industry,” he said.
“We don’t think about what players are actually struggling with nowadays. That really helps us – then we can look at the services we’re actually providing and what support is needed.”
The ability to communicate openly with others has since armed him with the necessary mechanisms to deal with previously problematic situations in the future – and now he’s focused on helping others with similar problems.
He continued: “Conversation is important and being open and using the people around you.
“I think there’s such a big stigma and ego about guys having to be brave and not need help. One of the best things I ever did was get help and now I’m happy to talk to anyone and open up.”
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