Former England and Liverpool striker Andy Carroll has publicly admitted that he was the victim of sexual assault in 2021. The candid statement by the 37-year-old footballer was included in his autobiographical book "Owning It," as reported by Sport RBC.UA with reference to The Athletic. Carroll's admission is a rare case in which a representative of men's professional football openly speaks about being a victim rather than a participant in a scandal, and it underscores the long-term consequences of such an experience.

How the Incident Took Place

According to Carroll, the event happened on the evening after one of his matches for Newcastle. An acquaintance of his former partner came to the player's house to watch boxing. After a few drinks, the footballer felt uncomfortable and dizzy and decided to go to bed early. It was at that moment, as he describes, that the guest, taking advantage of the athlete's condition, began performing sexual acts towards him, from which Carroll woke up.

Reaction and Self-Defense

Carroll claims that he threw the guest out of the house. When the man tried to come back, the footballer, according to his account, knocked him out with a punch and immediately called the police. In this way, an incident that could have remained behind closed doors turned into an official investigation thanks to the victim's own reaction.

Court Proceedings and Verdict

The man denied the charges brought against him, but the court found him guilty. The sentence was three years of imprisonment with registration in the sex offenders register. Carroll separately noted that giving testimony in court was "humiliating and terrifying" for him, which in itself became an additional stress factor on top of the initial trauma.

Impact on Life and Career

In the book, the footballer writes: "What happened to me has affected every aspect of my life. I thought about it every day, which made it hard for me to focus on anything else, including football. The trauma from what happened has not gone away." These words explain how a personal crisis intertwined with his professional work and why a public admission became a step for him toward making sense of what happened.

Career Context

Andy Carroll has a rich history in British football: he played for Liverpool and Newcastle, and also represented the England national team. His autobiography "Owning It" became a space where he combined his sporting career with personal experiences, including the described 2021 incident, and he addressed readers with a call not to hush up such cases.