Depression in Rugby League

Now I've not done a sports piece yet, but I feel that it is fitting as a Hull FC supporter to make people aware of the recent news that Brett Seymour, one of our players, is battling depression. After a car crash on Sunday evening, it has been brought to the public's attention by his wife via Facebook that he is indeed suffering from such an illness. This news comes so soon after the Airlie Bird's 36-16 loss to Widnes on the Saturday evening. As I was on Twitter during the game, I did notice that several fans (and  players, not to name names) were being exceedingly harsh on Seymour. I freely admit that he has not performed to his full potential in a Black and Whites jersey yet, but as a player on the field, he has not been completely dreadful. He would also be the first to admit that his Hull FC career has not been perfect. However, it did upset me that fans were being so critical of the man when in fact, very few players came out of that game with any credit. The whole team were uninspiring but to pinpoint the loss on just one player is sad. Since Seymour's arrival in Hull, he has received nothing but criticism from the fans and in a way as harsh as it sounds, it does not surprise me that he would do such a thing as crash his car as it cannot be easy, having thousands of people tell you that you are not good enough at your job. I don't think people realise that at the end of the day, sportsmen and women are still human beings. They turn up to work every day just like regular folk and work hard and sometimes it doesn't pay off, like in everyday life, but to have someone scrutinise your work in such detail must be extremely difficult. Therefore, it is understandable to feel down and to not feel good enough, hence why depression may have kicked in.

Depression is a serious mental illness that I think some people do not realise that it is an actual illness. In sport especially, it must be hard to be under that much pressure from coaches and fans and the worst critic of all, yourself. The voices in your head telling you that you need to improve and it comes to a certain point that you can't take it any more. In rugby league, it has become a more apparent issue, especially since the passing of Terry Newton in September 2010, that depression is a real cause for concern. The way I view Seymour's current situation, it is a cry for help. Because depression is such a closed illness, it is easier to keep all of those feelings inside and let them eat away at you until you have just had enough. The RFL need to help him as opposed to shut him out and, along with Hull FC and Seymour's friends and family, help him out of this depression. If they don't, I fear that something worse could happen.

For these players, rugby league isn't just a game, it's a way of life so when they are retired, injured or even if they have just had a bad string of games, this is when the feeling sinks in. They may look physically fine but what goes on mentally, is an unknown quantity. Such players as Paul Wood, Paul Reilly, Cory Paterson and even Jason Robinson have all spoken out about their battle with depression and I believe there are probably a lot more current and ex-players who are suffering in silence. I understand that it is a difficult issue to discuss, or even state that you suffer from it, but once it is out there, help can be given before it is too late.

As a rugby league supporter, I believe that more support does need to be given to players once they have retired as many are unable to adjust to their new non-playing lifestyle. By working with the players, it should enable the game to be ambassadors and frontiers in helping those suffering from depression.

To Brett Seymour himself, the fans are fully behind you and send you best wishes on the road to recovery. It may be a long and not always easy process but keep looking up. Things will get better.

Today's Outfit 01/03/2013

Happy March everyone! Nearly Easter which means I can stuff my face with chocolate and not have to find an excuse for doing so!

Now the weather is a slight bit warmer, it's finally time to get wearing some shorts; however, it's not that warm so pairing them with tights is a must, especially for a cold arse like me! I love how these suspender tights show some skin without being too revealing. Because they're on the sexy side, I made sure the rest of my outfit was cute/simple to balance the whole look. I've also gone for a plain colour palette for the outfit, making the tights stand out more. The top is actually a baseball top from Forever 21 but it's still cold so I've paired it with my new navy New Look hoodie which is so comfy! The shorts are a very light blue and I got them a couple of years ago on my first shopping trip to London from my beloved Forever 21 again! The tights I actually got the other day for £3 from New Look! I've also been known to wear cute socks with outfits and was always seen with a colourful pair on when I was in school! Here I'm wearing some cream socks with black polka dots on and a cute little black bow on the side. And to complete the look, I've gone for my trusty navy Converse which I practically live and die in!