Penrith Panthers star Brent Naden in hospital to treat alcohol issues
As the NRL community rallies around Brent Naden following his rehab admission, Dean Widders has laid bare the shocking effects of racism on players.
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The rugby league community has thrown its support behind Penrith star Brent Naden after he was admitted to a private medical facility to treat alcohol issues.
Naden’s admission is believed to relate to being abused during a game in August when eight fans hurled racist taunts from the stands at Central Coast Stadium.
NRL Indigenous pathways manager Dean Widders told The Daily Telegraph racial abuse directed at indigenous players can have a long-term effects.
“It’s important for people to understand it can open up a history of trauma around these issues, around someone’s identity and feeling of belonging,” Widders said.
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“One of the big things in the game for Aboriginal people is that a sense of belonging is very important to us… and rugby league gives us that.
“But when you experience racism on the biggest stage, a mistreatment because of your race, it does take away that belonging and it can hurt and affect you.”
Widders, who played 159 NRL games, was racially abused during a match against South Sydney while playing for Parramatta in 2005.
“I was a strong confident first grade footballer when it happened to me and when it hit me it was hard to handle so I can imagine for Brent it plays on your mind a bit,” Widders said.
Widders also sees the trauma of racial abuse first hand through his work as an Aboriginal health officer at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney.
“This year I got to go and work in a mental health ward in a hospital and saw closely the effects of long term trauma and how people do hold on to it. A lot of it comes down to mistreatment as a young person, feeling inadequate and not having that feeling of belonging,” he said.
Naden is under the care of medical staff at South Pacific Private on the northern beaches, a facility that offers specialist treatment for addictions.
He was admitted in the week after Penrith’s grand final loss to the Melbourne Storm, having approached the Panthers welfare team to discuss his issues with alcohol.
In talks with Penrith’s welfare team, Naden admitted he had been affected by the racial abuse issue in Gosford.
The loneliness of being in lockdown inside the NRL bubble all year also took a toll.
The Panthers insisted the decision to relegate Naden to the bench for the grand final qualifier and the decider against Storm was not related to Naden’s alcohol problem.
The Panthers were impressed by his decision to reach out for help and are now closely monitoring his progress and recovery.
“It’s a brave move from him to go get help and support, he needs to be applauded for it,” Widders said.
Former Panthers premiership winner Mark Geyer, whose oldest son Logan played junior football with Naden, is confident the NRL community will rally behind the Panthers star.
“I feel for the kid, he’s only young,” Geyer said.
“I know him pretty well. He’s played a lot of footy with my boy coming through the junior systems. I just wish him the best and hope he is getting the support he needs. As a code we rally around those in trouble and we’ll do the same with him,” Geyer said.
The club is confident he will be okay to play next year, but will give him as much time off as required for treatment.
“I’ve never had to deal with anything like that in my life until a few weeks ago,” Naden told media in September following the racial abuse.
“That’s why it hit me so hard.
“What made it easier for me to speak up was having watched guys like Greg Inglis, Adam Goodes and Latrell Mitchell stand up to it in the past.”
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Penrith kept Naden’s situation so private that not even board member Greg Alexander was aware he was in rehab until contacted by The Daily Telegraph.
“It’s sad to hear that he’s had to check himself into the rehab clinic,” Alexander said from the NSW Blues training camp.
“He’s gone through a tough time recently. I don’t want to elaborate on that.
“It’s just good that the club, all the players and coaching staff are right behind him. Hopefully he gets well soon.”
Penrith chief executive Brian Fletcher confirmed that the NRL had been notified of Naden’s admission to the hospital.
Originally published as Penrith Panthers star Brent Naden in hospital to treat alcohol issues
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