Wayne Schwass says AFL players are battling depression in secret
FORMER AFL star Wayne Schwass estimates he has helped 20 players and coaches in recent years who were battling depression. But that is just the tip of the iceberg.
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WAYNE Schwass believes there are “a lot” of AFL players battling depression in secret.
The decorated player-turned depression crusader estimated he had helped 20 players and coaches in recent years, but thought that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Schwass, who struggled with depression during his 15-year, 282-game career with North Melbourne and Sydney, said footy and society had much work to do.
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“It’s about teaching young men that it’s completely normal to talk or ask for help. It’s not a sign of weakness and that’s where we need to move to,” Schwass said.
“I’m confident there are lot more men in the (footy) industry that are dealing with these things, but are too scared to talk about it.
“When we’ve got a Lance Franklin who comes out, or a Daniel Menzel, it has a really powerful impact. They’re the one’s we know of.”
Schwass, 48, now lives by the term “Pukka”, an Indian Hindi word meaning genuine and authentic — “two things I wasn’t when I was unwell through my footy career.”
In February he cycled for 24 hours and 352km up and down Mount Macedon, climbing a total of 8,848m — the same elevation as Mount Everest — to raise awareness.
“I’d made a public commitment to honour people who had lost their lives to suicide and the families who’ve been left devastated and have to carry on,” he said.
“I get anywhere between 10 and 40 requests for help on Facebook every day. My son asked me to do a speech at his school on what I thought it meant to be a father. Afterwards I had a message from a guy who wrote: ‘I was standing on a bridge in Melbourne this morning ... I thought I’d come and listen to your talk and I’m glad I did and that I didn’t jump’.
“I get those sort of messages all the time.”
Schwass said the expectation and pressure on today’s generation of footballers and coaches meant they needed to be better equipped to deal with the next phase of their lives.
“I’ve supported two former senior coaches. It’s a lonely place and an incredibly stressful job,” he said.
“We’re also asking parents if we can draft their kids and we then effectively become their surrogate parents. We not only have a responsibility to create an environment for the players to prosper but we’ve got to make sure we have a welfare system in place so that by the time they finish they’ve got the tools to cope with a significant change in their life.”
IF YOU OR ANYONE YOU KNOW NEEDS HELP, CONTACT LIFELINE ON 13 11 14 OR BEYONDBLUE ON 1300 224 636
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