AFL star Majak Daw has spoken candidly about his suicide attempt for the first time
Majak Daw has given a candid interview, bravely laying bare the moments he tried to take his own life three times.
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Majak Daw went from having never seen a football in his life to becoming the first Sudanese-Australian player to be drafted by an AFL club when North Melbourne picked him in 2010.
The now 30-year-old made his AFL debut when he played his first senior game against the Brisbane Lions in round four of the 2013 season.
Daw struggled to establish himself as a regular player at the elite level until the 2018 season when he enjoyed a breakout campaign. He was switched to defence where he flourished, making 18 senior appearances to reach his 50-game career milestone.
However, while everything appeared to be going great for the highly-respected player, what many didn’t realise is what Daw was trying to mask.
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In a raw interview with Hamish McLachlan for the Herald Sun, the footy star bravely revealed his mental health struggles which saw him try and take his own life three times.
Daw was a refugee when he immigrated to Australia in 2003. He was only seven years old when he fled his native Sudan in the middle of the night with his mum and siblings during the country’s second civil war in 2000.
His father stayed behind, before later joining his family when they all migrated to Australia three years later.
When arriving at Melbourne airport they were handed a welcome package and in it was a Collingwood scarf. That’s when Daw got his first taste of footy.
But in between the fame and success that followed, he was battling a host of demons, abusing alcohol, suffering racial abuse and often arguing with his then girlfriend Emily McKay, with whom he now co-parents son Hendrix.
“In the back end of 2018, I was drinking a lot, actually way too much. There were a lot of things going on that I was trying to mask,” Daw told the Herald Sun.
He spoke of the moment he and Emily went to a house party in October that year and he began arguing with someone over “inappropriate” things they had said to her. It made him so angry he went home and started drinking, adding that it was the heartbreaking moment he first tried to take his own life.
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He explained he was mentally “very troubled and couldn’t hide it anymore”. However, things spiralled further out of control the night after Emily told him she was pregnant.
The pair had a fight and he got drunk at a barbecue that was being held on top of his apartment building.
Heavily intoxicated, he tried to take his life twice. He sent Emily a text message, telling her that he was “sorry” but that he “couldn’t stay around any longer”.
But during his attempt, he realised he made the wrong decision, telling the Herald Sun he “regretted it straight away”. Thankfully, he survived.
“I love my life now. It took going through those experiences to realise just how beautiful simple everyday things are,” he said.
Daw said his parents had no idea about his mental health battles, saying the news left them shattered.
Now, almost three years since the footy star suffered multiple injuries from the attempt, he made his AFL return on August 1 last year.
“I’m happy. I enjoy the simple things in life now. I’m at peace. I love playing footy, and I love having the opportunity to still do what I do.”
Daw has also released his first book — Majak by Majak Daw with Heath O’Loughlin — which will be available in print and audiobook from August 3.
Originally published as AFL star Majak Daw has spoken candidly about his suicide attempt for the first time
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