Former Liverpool, Newcastle, and England striker Andy Carroll has revealed that he was a victim of sexual violence by a man in 2021. The attacker was subsequently sentenced to three years in prison.
The 37-year-old spoke about his ordeal in his autobiography Owning It. Carroll mentioned that he wrestled with the decision of whether to share this painful experience with the public.
In his book, Carroll wrote:
Several years ago, something so traumatic happened to me that I only decided to include it in the book at the last moment. I was subjected to sexual violence. It's terrifying to even think about it, and only a few people have known until now.
Talking about this is frightening, but this incident has shaped me as much as all the good things that have happened in my life. If my story helps even one person, then it was worth it.
According to Carroll, the man, described as a well-known associate of his former partner, came to his home to watch a boxing match. The footballer claims he later woke up to find the man engaging in sexual acts towards him.
Carroll managed to eject him from his house, but the man attempted to return. In the ensuing confrontation, Carroll struck him, causing him to lose consciousness.
Carroll recounted:
I grabbed him by his legs and dragged him out onto the driveway. I went back inside, locked the door, and called the police and the nanny. Then suddenly, I had this thought: what if I had killed him?
Carroll explained that he chose to speak publicly about the incident to regain control over this aspect of his life.
The footballer added:
The trauma of what happened to me hasn't gone away. I'm still dealing with it every day. If you hide something for years, it's clear you don’t want others to know.
But I started to think about it in the context of the book's title. Maybe if I accept what happened to me instead of trying to bury it, I can take control of it myself rather than allowing it to control me.
