Canberra Raiders' centre Curtis Scott has told just how heavily his life has been impacted over the past two years, and how he is now on the path to recovery.
The interview with The Daily Telegraph shows a man looking to turn his life around, having admitted to a psychiatrist at one point he was considering suicide following an Australia Day arrest.
Scott is currently awaiting a court mention on August 30 over an incident at a Canberra nightclub which he will defend his innocence too, however, Scott has already had charges thrown out against him from a separate Australia Day incident.
Scott was charged of assaulting police officers, however, Scott said seeing the incident on the front page impacted him enormously.
โIโve havenโt been the same since,โ Scott said.
โIt was on the front page for a few days.
โAt first no one would believe my story. My crime was that I fell asleep in a park yet Iโm made out to be someone who would assault a police officer.
โIt knocked me about a lot. Then the truth came out. It was hard because I was trying to juggle my footy with all the speculation.โ
The centre has admitted he has checked into Alcoholics Anonymous as he attempts to turn his life around while waiting for his current case to be heard in court.
Scott has been stood down by the Raiders since the May 30 incident, and while he served a suspension from the NRL, he was then left out of the Raiders' bubble to fly to Queensland.
As a result, Scott has only made ten appearances for the Raiders this season.
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Scott said he turned to help networks such as Alcoholics Anonymous in an attempt to get back on track.
โIโd had enough of feeling shit,โ he said.
โI probably havenโt been happy for five years.โ
โI sourced it all (AA) on my own. I had to look into the mirror and do this myself.
โThe reason I did drink was to try to escape the living hell. The pressure and the outside noise. I turned to alcohol to give myself a break and escape my problems.โ
Scott mentioned he has been going to four meetings per week for about six weeks, and that he has been completely sober since beginning the meetings as he attempts to resurrect his career.
He has also been working with his brother's landscaping business during his time away from the NRL, while also saying his Raiders' teammates have been checking in on him constantly.
Scott said he simply wants to get back on field and move on from what has been a hellish period.
โThere was something inside me that drove me to wanting to be an NRL player and you know what โฆ itโs still there. Iโve been in a dark place for a long time. Iโm ready to move on," Scott said.
Readers needing to talk are urged to contact Lifeline on 131114.
