Andy Carroll has looked back on one of the most notorious incidents of his early career, recounting the aftermath of Newcastle's stunning 5-1 victory against Sunderland in 2010.
In his autobiography, Owning It, the former striker vehemently denies tabloid claims involving cocaine and a wild night, asserting that the reality was far less scandalous.
Following the match, Carroll and Newcastle's captain, Kevin Nolan, hit the town, eventually continuing the celebrations at Nolan's home for a Halloween party. According to Carroll, family members and a few friends were present, along with security provided by the club.
Reflecting on that night, Carroll said:
After a fun night, I crashed on the sofa in the home cinema room. When I woke up the next day, the biggest story was that one of Kev's mates had gotten together with one of the girls. Nothing out of the ordinary.
However, just days later, things took a dramatic turn. On their way to training, Nolan received a message from his agent about an upcoming article in News of the World. The piece sensationally claimed that Carroll had spent the night with two girls and that cocaine was involved at the party.
Carroll recalled Nolan's reaction:
Kev looked at his phone as if he had seen a ghost, stopped the car, got out, and started banging his head against the roof. His agent had sent him the article which was set to drop in two days.
It claimed I was 'entertaining' two girls, and there was cocaine scattered on the table. There were photos of drugs and girls coming down the stairs.
The fallout weighed heavily on Nolan, who was a married father and captain of the team. Carroll admits he still feels guilt for persuading Nolan to continue the festivities at his house.
Andy added:
Kev was losing his mind over the stress, and I get it. He had everything to lose: a wife, kids, and being club captain. I really felt bad for putting him in that situation.
While Carroll dismissed the alleged sexual aspect of the scandal, he pointed to the tabloid’s sensationalist spin as typical exaggeration:
I wasn't particularly bothered by the sex story. Since when did a three-way get labelled as a 'debauched orgy'? Even if it had happened — which it didn't — a more accurate headline would be 'Single footballer consensually has sex with two women'. But that wouldn't sell papers.
What upset Carroll the most was the accusation of drug use. He firmly denies that cocaine was present at Nolan's home, insisting that the photograph in question was taken elsewhere.
I was genuinely angry about the drug claims. When I was in school and found out someone was doing drugs, I'd cut them out of my life.
I didn't know a single footballer who did drugs. Many lads at Newcastle enjoyed a drink, but cocaine was seen as something for idiots.
According to Carroll, the key piece of evidence was the photo of the substance on the table, purportedly showing the name of the nightclub Tiger Tiger, where one of the security guards at the party worked:
And guess where one of the security guards worked? Tiger Tiger. He took the photos of the girls and then sold the whole story to News of the World.
Despite the scandal, then-manager Chris Hughton believed Carroll's version of events, starting him in the line-up against Arsenal at the Emirates. Carroll responded by scoring the winning goal, leading Newcastle to a 1-0 victory.
Andy concluded:
Thank goodness Chris Hughton believed me and not the paper. That was the day the News of the World came out, and during the warm-up, thousands of Arsenal fans were sitting there with the papers open.
Throughout that season, Carroll netted 11 goals in 19 Premier League appearances for Newcastle before moving to Liverpool for £35 million in January 2011.
