Former Exeter hooker Neil Clark has shone a disturbing light on the post-rugby mental trauma he is suffering that led him to the brink of suicide two years ago.
Clark, player of the year for Chiefs during their historic 2009/10 Championship-winning campaign, helped establish the club in the Premiership before heading for a French payday at Oyonnax in 2013, only for a neck injury to end his career.
Clark reveals how he has struggled with life after rugby and the depths to which he sank amid the constant pain he still endures as a result of the countless injuries and operations he suffered during 17 years as a professional.
At a time when his former side have scaled the heights by becoming European champions for the first time, the 39-year-old hopes telling his harrowing story now will inspire younger players to take more control of their own destinies and avoid the traps he fell into.
Clark, who had to quit in 2015, told The Rugby Paper: “It’s not all doom and gloom, but from a very personal perspective, it’s not been a great five years. Rugby’s a fantastic game and I’m grateful for the opportunities, but sometimes I hate how rugby left me.
“I had something like 15 injury operations – two ACLs, two ankles, four shoulder repairs, pins in my thumb, two surgeries on my neck among them – and I’ve got a head full of scars and spinal fluid in my neck. Some days I feel completely debilitated and can’t even get out of bed or put my socks on, so you can imagine how humiliating that feels.
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