Former England striker Andy Carroll has revealed that he was sexually assaulted in 2021, detailing the incident in his new autobiography Owning It, released on Thursday. Carroll, 37, said he “can’t forget” the attack, for which the perpetrator received a three-year prison sentence.
Incident details
According to the book, the incident occurred one evening after Carroll had played a game for Newcastle United, when an unnamed “celebrity mate” of his former partner invited himself round to watch a boxing match. Carroll said he went to bed early after feeling uncomfortable during interactions with the man, recalling feeling “light-headed”.
He alleges that he then woke to the visitor attempting to give him oral sex under his bedsheets. After throwing the man out of the house, he knocked the attacker unconscious when he tried to re-enter. He then called the police, and found himself “sobbing in (his children’s) nanny’s arms”.
Legal outcome and impact
The attacker was subsequently charged with sexual offences by the police, found guilty, and sentenced to three years in prison. He was also placed on the National Sex Offender Register and banned from entering the village where Carroll lived.
Carroll recalled testifying in court, which he describes in the book as “humiliating and embarrassing and absolutely horrendous”. He said he spent a lot of time with his partner discussing whether to mention the assault in his book, but that if talking about it helps just one person then good “it will have been worth it.”
He added: “What happened to me affected every facet of my life. I’d think about it every day, making it difficult to focus on anything else, including football. The trauma of what happened to me hasn’t gone away.”
Career background
Carroll has played for nine clubs across a 20-year professional career, and was the most expensive British footballer in history in 2011, when he joined Liverpool from hometown club Newcastle United for £35 million. He joined West Ham United in 2013, scoring 33 goals across 126 appearances. He won nine caps for England, scoring two goals, including a memorable header against Sweden during the 2012 European Championships.
Carroll currently plays and acts as assistant manager for National League South side Dagenham & Redbridge.
If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.
