AFL legend Gary Ablett Sr left ‘shattered’ by greatest tragedy

Famous football recluse Gary Ablett Sr has given a rare public interview to reveal he was “broken as a person” by his drug scandal shame.

Footy legend Gary Ablett Sr has given a rare public interview to openly discuss his greatest “shame”.

The Geelong Cats icon became emotional when revisiting the death of 20-year-old fan Alisha Horan in a drug-fuelled tragedy 20-years ago.

Ablett said in a Facebook Live interview with social inclusion charity Reclink Australia that the scandal “broke me as a person”.

Horan, described by her father Alan Horan as an infatuated fan of the Hall of Fame footy legend, died in Ablett’s room at Melbourne’s Park Hyatt Hotel in 2000 from a drugs cocktail, reported to be made up of heroin, ecstasy and amphetamine.

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Ablett was cleared of criminal charges but was fined $1500 for using and possessing heroin and ecstasy.

He has now spoken openly about the incident, revealing it left him “shattered”.

“There’s been times, especially when, with moral failure some 20 years ago where I was involved in drugs and there was a young lady that overdosed... I can’t tell you how much that shattered me, how much it broke me as a person,” Ablett told the Facebook Live stream.

“It still grieves me to this day.

“It’s only been my relationship with Jesus Christ that has got me through, because of His unconditional love and acceptance and knowing that if I repent and I’m genuinely sorry for what I’ve done, He forgives me because He’s paid for it all on the cross. Without him, I couldn’t have kept going.

Coroners inquest into the death of Alisha Horan, 20. Former Geelong footballer Gary Ablett at the Coroners Court.

“After that happened I didn’t want to be here for a number of years and I said to God, ‘you should have taken me instead’. It’s been a very painful experience.

“If only I could go back in time and change things I would. Unfortunately we don’t get that opportunity.

“That’s why I’m learning... that’s why choices in life are so important because once we’ve made a choice or a decision, we don’t get the chance to go back in time and change it.”

Ablett was speaking out to encourage the viewers to learn from his mistakes.

“No one likes emotional pain – especially long-term – and it’s so easy to want to turn to things to numb our pain, to escape reality,” he said.

“But the problem is when the drugs wear off and the alcohol wears off, we not only wake up with a hangover, our problems are back worse than ever often because what we’ve done while we’ve been on the drugs or on the drink can add more pain, or even shame, to our lives.

“We need to make sure that we get our decisions right the first time – that’s been a big lesson for me. I just wish I had have known that a lot earlier.”

Alan Horan has reportedly never forgiven Ablett over the death of his daughter.

He said two years ago Ablett Sr has never apologised to him or his family.

In recent years he has continued to publicly condemn Ablett — saying he refuses to believe the footy great’s statements.

“Why would anyone bother printing garbage like that to start with? Don’t believe him” Mr Horan told journalists today.

“I wish he’d just overdose and go away.”

Ablett has previously admitted he was left depressed and unable to get out of bed following the tragic death.

15/02/2006. Gary Ablett Sr attended Geelong training to watch his two sons.

“Apart from the pain and grief of the tragedy, I felt a deep sense of shame and failure over my own behaviour, and I still feel deep regret and remorse. I just wish I had a time machine,” he said, according to AAP.

“I can’t begin to imagine the pain suffered by those close to Alisha and in no way do I want to attempt to beguile her loved ones of the pain and grief of a loss so great.

“After it happened I could not get out of bed for about six weeks, such was the devastation. I was so grieved and depressed over the whole thing.”

Ablett earlier this year went public with a series of conspiracy theories in a 27-minute rant posted on YouTube.

Ablett’s video, titled What’s really going on and who’s behind it all, included coronavirus and secret society claims.

“I feel a little bit motivated and compelled to come out and say some things that really need to be said concerning our current circumstances,” Ablett Sr. said.

Gary Ablett was unstoppable on the footy field.

“We’re talking about the Illuminati, Freemasonry fraternities, secret society people who are behind all this. It’s been going on now since the plans all started with the Illuminati way back in 1776.

“They’ve been working on this for a long time to bring in the new world order. They’re all globalists wanting a new world order so they can put Lucifer on the throne of the world.

“This virus was deliberately made and designed, and deliberately released by these people because they’re using it as camouflage for their many globalist agendas, including the main one to crash the global economy.

“They’re desperate to crash the global economy because they want to bring in a new global digital currency, cashless society that will lead to the mark of the beast which is revealed in Revelations.

“The Illuminati’s goal is also to reduce to the population of the world to 500 million … because 7.7 billion people are too hard to control.

“If you do your studying, the vaccines they’re planning to give us are very harmful to us and will kill us. And that’s what they’re trying to do, they want to wipe out a huge portion of the population.”