BlackWhiteGold
Well-known member
SMH Weidler column
May: ‘I will be judged on my actions’
Two hours with Taylan May are not enough to provide an accurate account of his hopes of making it back to the big time.I can only judge the former Panther on his actions. Five weeks in rehab is no walk in the park. Two weeks in a psych ward, where he mixed with people who tried to take their own lives in front of him, is heavy-duty.
It’s the kind of stuff you only do if you know you need help and are willing to take steps towards becoming a better person.
“I know it’s not a cure and I know I will be judged on my actions,” he said.
Clearly, the Wests Tigers know there is more to May than just a talented footballer. Before his stint in hospital, he had a meeting with the Tigers – and it went badly. May told me about it, and it may just have been the catalyst for his decision to get help.
He was suicidal. He didn’t like the person he was. He knew he needed to change for himself, his wife and his kids. He wants to set them up and he wants to be present. He wants to be a decent husband. He knows what people say and he knows some will never change what they think of him. He doesn’t expect one drop of sympathy.
But he must have done something to change the Tigers’ minds. They were not going to sign him with Issac Moses’s money, but a few weeks later – and after some serious interest from Wayne Bennett at the Rabbitohs – they have jumped on board, signing him on a train-and-trial deal.
He is sure to need ongoing work and treatment and will need to earn the club’s trust off the field more than on it.
The key is the name tattooed on his neck. It’s both his burden and his pride. He has been given a dream opportunity to play alongside his brother, Terrell May. It’s his chance to achieve his goal of being the best in his position in the game. The ability is there – now it’s time to see if his application and attitude can match his gifts.
