Dean Windass

[John Byrne's Underpants]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16566561.stm

How sad. Guess fame and fortune's not all it's cracked up to be (or is it the lack of?).

[Radley Rambler]

Strangely I've sometimes wondered how 'Deano' would get on when the floodlights faded and sadly it's worse than I thought it would be. Windass comes from a very difficult background and found that his natural talent brought him great financial rewards which it appears he wasn't equipped to cope with.

With the recent influx of wealth into the hands of many players who don't have the capacity to handle it, I suspect he will be the first of many footballers who find themselves in this position in the future. Very sad. I hope the PFA help him out, hopefully Gordon Taylor can show us he's worth his £600k per annum salary.

[The Boys from Up the Hill]

I suspect many footballers have struggled with depression after retirement, but the nature of the game led them to keep it secret. Awful for Dean Windass and the other football players who've had to suffer with it, but I do at least see it as a positive step that increasing numbers of players are prepared to come forward and talk about it.

[GodalmingYellow]

I suspect many footballers have struggled with depression after retirement, but the nature of the game led them to keep it secret. Awful for Dean Windass and the other football players who've had to suffer with it, but I do at least see it as a positive step that increasing numbers of players are prepared to come forward and talk about it.

I couldn't agree more.

Very sad for Windy, but that he has opened up and spread the word, means that his friends and family can keep a close eye on him.

Accepting the illness is a hugely important step for him because he can begin to get treatment.

[A-Ro]

Andrew Flintoff recently appeared on television in a very good programme called &quotThe Hidden Side of Sport&quot which covered this topic. I believe the programme is still available on BBC iPlayer.

[GodalmingYellow]

Andrew Flintoff recently appeared on television in a very good programme called &quotThe Hidden Side of Sport&quot which covered this topic. I believe the programme is still available on BBC iPlayer.

It was a good programme and it showed how many different forms of depression there are and how many different ways it can be triggereed.

[OUFC_Gav]

Would highly recommend the Robert Enke (German international goalkeeper who committed suicide) biography A Life Too Short by Robert Reng. Beautifully written (especially considering its translated from German), it gives a real insight into depression.

[Baboo]

Andrew Flintoff recently appeared on television in a very good programme called &quotThe Hidden Side of Sport&quot which covered this topic. I believe the programme is still available on BBC iPlayer.

It was a good programme and it showed how many different forms of depression there are and how many different ways it can be triggereed.

A real eye opener. Vinnie Jones. Ricky Hatton. Steve Harmison. Graham Dott.

I thought Dean Windass looked fit and quite happy in the way he played in the Joey / Langy testimonial, but as we now know appearances can be quite deceptive.