Davy Glennon praised for speaking out about gambling problem

Offaly footballer Niall McNamee has hailed Galway hurling star Davy Glennon for the decision to speak out about the gambling problem that almost cost him his life.

McNamee, who attended his first Gamblers Anonymous meeting in 2011, also revealed that he is contacted by people on a weekly basis seeking help for addiction.

McNamee was aware of Glennon’s problems but didn’t realise that he would go public in a revealing interview with John Fogarty published in Saturday's Irish Examiner.

And when Glennon scored four points during the course of an impressive performance against Cork in the first round of the Allianz Hurling League back in February, McNamee was in touch to congratulate the talented forward.

McNamee has also admitted that potential danger is never too far away, despite the fact that he is now four and a half years into recovery.

McNamee said: “One or two people are contacting me on a weekly basis.

“I try and help them as best I can. I give them the advice that I was given and bring them to meetings but that’s all I can do.

"I show them the tools and it’s up to them to pick them up and use them. I have my own life to lead and my own recovery to focus on.”

Glennon’s brutally honest account of his own battles brought the issue of gambling in the GAA back into focus.

How #gambling took Davy Glennon to abyss and back. https://t.co/celpr6GhXN

— Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) May 7, 2016

And McNamee revealed: “I’d met him a couple of months ago, I knew he’d been away but didn’t know he was going to come out publicly.

“He seems to be in a good place, that’s the impression I got. I’m talking to lads up and down the country on a weekly basis, in similar situations. It’s good to see someone coming out the other side, stories of recovery are always good. He’s back playing well and after he played his first game in the league against Cork, I texted him. He can concentrate on his hurling now and get back to living a normal life.”

McNamee added: “The problem I had initially when I went looking for help is that I didn’t know help existed. I thought the only person in the world with the problem and the only person in the world that could solve it was me. It was only from going to meetings and chatting with people that you realise this is a much bigger problem.

“The wider public getting in contact makes it easier on yourself but I was at home watching Sky Sports on Monday evening, a bit of golf on, and during the breaks there were ads for three different betting companies. That’s bad.

“People that don’t gamble or don’t have a bet don’t notice that but it’s different for someone struggling or who doesn’t realise why they’re gambling and can’t stop.

“You have the offers like ‘join us and get a free €100 bet’ or ‘triple the odds’ and you’re thinking ‘here’s my chance to win all the money back.’

“When I was gambling, I was only one big win from getting it all back. In my early gambling, I won big very early and won a lot of money so I thought ‘I did it before, I can do it again.’ I would have remembered the wins and forgot the losses.

“There were times when I punched the steering wheel of the car after leaving the bookies and vowed never to do that again but within 20 minutes I’d be ringing someone asking to borrow money and go back gambling again.

"I remember when the recession came in 2008/2009 and I was delighted because it meant less money and I wouldn’t be able to gamble. But it got worse because the only way I thought I could get money was to gamble. People drawing the dole might not be losing a lot of money but the effects are the same because they’re gambling beyond their means and have nothing left. And when it’s rammed down your throat on TV and radio, it’s difficult to get away from it. I know when to switch off, not to watch horse and dog racing but I have that training behind me. A lot of people don’t understand or realise and those ads on TV look really attractive.”

McNamee has turned his life around and is now running a successful business – ‘12’s – The Next Generation Sports Sock’ – while also offering his services for public speaking and business coaching. And the 30-year-old Rhode forward added: “Business is going well and we have a lot of stuff going on. We have great plans and ideas for the next couple of months and hopefully it will all work out.

“It’s a different life from where I was. I was at a wedding last Saturday - I was able to go, sit down and enjoy the day for what it was, instead of dipping in and out to go the bookies, or not being able to go at all because of not having any money.

“I had €50 in my pocket and I was able to buy the lads a drink and not be lost in my own head. That’s very early recovery stuff, having a few bob back in my pocket, doing the normal things like going to the cinema or out for a cup of coffee.”