Just heard on the radio that Bailey is taking indefinite leave from the club. Hope all is ok with him.

That's not good.

Edited December 17, 20213 yr by Mazer Rackham

Inappropriate jokes and comments mocking mental illness will be deleted. 

Training away, hopefully right for R1. 
I want our best to beat their best

I have a mental illness and I can tell you its a struggle hope he gets through it.

This isn’t meant to take away from what he’s going through but I’m not sure being the most followed AFL player on Instagram is actually a good thing.

It’s hard enough being a full time professional footballer at 21 without attempting to be an Instagram model too 

I wonder if it has anything to do with his social media presence?

He puts himself out there, and the vitriol via socials can be soul destroying.

 

Hope the kid can sort himself out, and that his team mates and footy community can give him the support he needs.

2 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

This isn’t meant to take away from what he’s going through but I’m not sure being the most followed AFL player on Instagram is actually a good thing.

It’s hard enough being a full time professional footballer at 21 without attempting to be an Instagram model too 

This is exactly what I was thinking when i was typing my post.

Would be interesting to see if he is given professional advice to cut back on it for a while.

 

Has it been stated his leave is related to mental illness? 
 

In other news Dusty’s father has passed away.
 

Edited December 17, 20213 yr by Bombay Airconditioning
Spelling

22 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

This isn’t meant to take away from what he’s going through but I’m not sure being the most followed AFL player on Instagram is actually a good thing.

It’s hard enough being a full time professional footballer at 21 without attempting to be an Instagram model too 

Was thinking the same 'Dee', it's a lot of added pressure to carry.

Social media can be very cruel & unforgiving.

Anyway, I hope the kid will be ok...

I hope Bailey is ok. He’s a fantastic footballer, and we need more personalities in the game. It’s easy to forget that our very own Max was able to become himself away from the spotlight. Bailey is only 21 and very much in the public eye.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/star-western-bulldog-bailey-smith-has-taken-an-indefinite-leave-of-absence-from-the-club/news-story/a7e34f25bb9850fcb2d0d93d383d6d6d

Family matters.

As well as the repetitive drumming in to the novices about being acutely aware of what they ingest, is there any guidance to them about the potential harm from what is quaintly termed, social media (actually quite often, antisocial media?)

I realise that it is a free world (sort of) and everyone is free to indulge in this phenomenon, but we do see a lot of downside.

Is more education / awareness / support needed?

Edited December 18, 20213 yr by monoccular

Good that players are taking breaks and clubs are supporting them. Do it early before issues become too much

sounds like a combination of family and personal stuff. Taking a break now he’ll hopefully be fine soon

3 hours ago, Bombay Airconditioning said:

Has it been stated his leave is related to mental illness? 
 

In other news Dusty’s father has passed away.
 

Bailey has been very open about his own battles and panic attacks and become somewhat of a spokesperson about mental illness.

He played for my boys club and is still a regular down there even helping with running water at times. He made my youngest boys day at training this year when he waved and said hello to him.

A quality young man, down to earth and likeable despite his image. I wish him nothing but the best.

I hope Bailey will be ok so he can be thrashed again in Round 1

I want to dislike him, but I don’t. And I find his vulnerability to be endearing.

I really hope the young fella is able to manage this and still have a long and prosperous career, and be an inspiration to others.

I can see this guy like Dustin Martin buck the odds and become a superstar or burnout and become a skid row bum or both like Ben Cousins. I don’t see much chance of a moderate life in between.

Edited December 18, 20213 yr by John Crow Batty

In situations like this (without knowing the details, of course), I think of someone like Ash Barty. Her extended break from tennis was absolutely crucial to where she is today and her openness about how that break helped her is instructive. It's easy to say it was the right call in retrospect, and it might still have been the right call even if career success didn't result, but I can only hope that decision like hers have made it easier for players to do this - early before it all becomes even harder to deal with, or at the time when it's needed due to whatever the personal circumstances are.

Could happen to anyone and don’t think that our club is immune. Many young men in their late teens and early twenties struggle with mental health issues of varying levels even those who are successful at sports.

Whatever he’s dealing with I hope he gets through it ok. As many have said we don’t know full details but social media can be such a strain on people’s mental health, I hope this time away from footy is good for him. 

Hope he gets through this and I'm sure he can with a good support network around him. Think he's fantastic and a great character for the game.

5 hours ago, Apocalypse XXXI said:

Could happen to anyone and don’t think that our club is immune. Many young men in their late teens and early twenties struggle with mental health issues of varying levels even those who are successful at sports.

Not just footballers. Anyone in the public eye can struggle with the attention. If anyone remembers the teenage heart-throb David Cassidy, he was on top of the world but thoroughly miserable because he couldn't deal with being in the spotlight all the time. He wouldn't be the only one. Look at Billie Eilish.

11 hours ago, Mazer Rackham said:

Not just footballers. Anyone in the public eye can struggle with the attention. If anyone remembers the teenage heart-throb David Cassidy, he was on top of the world but thoroughly miserable because he couldn't deal with being in the spotlight all the time. He wouldn't be the only one. Look at Billie Eilish.

Who is Billie Eilish?

Edited December 19, 20213 yr by Winners at last

Interestingly leading up to and after the GF, he was the focus of all the media for the bulldogs (Mostly likely by his flowing hair).  The interest in him was intense, and that included his online activities.  Not sure if its related, but wishing him the best and quick return to footy.