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'It Stopped Being Fun when Gary Speed Died' - The Secret Footballer Comes Clean After 15 Years
Dave Kitson ended his Secret Footballer column after Gary Speed's suicide, citing guilt and frustration with football authorities' slow response to mental health issues.
- The Secret Footballer was unmasked as Dave Kitson after 15 years, and he said revealing his identity left him feeling unburdened.
- Kitson said he created the pseudonym because he was unhappy with football’s direction and needed an outlet for his mental health, starting as The Secret Footballer in 2011.
- Kitson said Speed's death by suicide on November 27, 2011, made the column gain credibility 'in the worst possible way' and led him to stop writing.
- Kitson now works as a motivational speaker, and his columns and books in The Guardian exposed mental health issues, contributing to reforms with clubs offering experts and improved PFA and FA approaches.
- Kitson says his biggest regret is that he did not produce a call to action sooner after Speed's death, describing immense stress and warning that many contributors struggle; he advises contacting Samaritans, which operates a 24-hour helpline.
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'Stoke was a dictatorship with no trust' - The Secret Footballer finally revealed - Stoke-on-Trent Live
Former Stoke City striker Dave Kitson has revealed he was "The Secret Footballer", as he discussed the disillusionment he experienced within the industry while at the club under Tony Pulis.
·Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left3Leaning Right2Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution45% Center
Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources are Center
45% Center
L 33%
C 45%
R 22%
Factuality
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