Former Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll says he has been inundated with messages from other men after revealing his sex attack ordeal. In his new autobiography, the Gateshead-born player described how he was the victim of an attack at his home after a Newcastle United match in 2021.
Messages from other male victims
Carroll said he decided to speak out about the incident to help other men who had been through similar experiences. The 37-year-old has now told how he has been flooded with messages from other male victims.
He wrote online: "It's been incredibly hard for me to speak about what happened. I'm still navigating what I feel comfortable sharing publicly. Since speaking out, so many men have messaged me about their own experiences.
"That has been incredibly powerful and has reminded me just how important it is that men feel able to talk when they're ready."
Details of the assault
In his book, Carroll, who grew up in the Teams area of Gateshead, tells how he was assaulted by a 'celebrity' friend of his former partner who had invited himself round to watch a boxing match. Carroll does not name the perpetrator in the book, entitled Owning It.
The footballer describes how he went to bed after feeling uncomfortable during some of their interactions and said he felt light-headed after a few drinks. Carroll says he was awoken by the attacker, who tried to give him oral sex under the bedsheets.
The striker explained that he threw the man out of the house before calling the police and sobbing in his children's nanny's arms. The attacker was later convicted of sexual offences and sentenced to three years in prison following a trial which Carroll describes as "humiliating and embarrassing and absolutely horrendous".
Decision to speak out
Carroll also explains how he decided to talk about the incident in the book after a discussion with his new partner Lou Teasdale.
He wrote: "Other things I'd quite like to forget but can't... Something happened to me a few years ago that was so traumatic I only decided to include it in this book at the very last minute. I was sexually assaulted, there I said it. Scary to even think about and only a few people knew about it before now. Me and Lou spent a lot of time discussing whether to mention it in this book or not.
"I avoided my publisher for so long that they probably suspected I got cold feet. Scary to talk about but it's made the person I am today as much as any of the good stuff. And if me talking about it helps just one person then good it will have been worth it."
Carroll now plays for National League South side Dagenham & Redbridge and is also assistant manager of the club. The former Newcastle United academy player dropped down the divisions after leaving St James' Park for a second time in 2021. Carroll spent some time in France with Amiens and Bordeaux, before returning to England in 2025.
