*gulp*
this is why players (actually, anyone) need support:
An apparent suicide raises questions of how to best assist banned players, write Glenn Jackson and Brad Walter.
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The tragic death of former Great Britain hooker Terry Newton has prompted calls for banned rugby league stars to be offered more support.
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The 31-year-old, who was seven months into a two-year drugs suspension, left a message on his Facebook page stating ''Luv U all but it's end time'' just hours before he was found hanging in the garage of his home near Wigan. Police said his death was not suspicious.
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The apparent suicide has led to calls for the game's administrations not to abandon their players - even ones who, like Newton, had been banned for being a drugs cheat.
''There's no doubt he could have done with a bit of help,'' Stuart Raper, who coached Newton between 2001 and 2003 at Wigan, said yesterday. ''You can't just ban them and say, 'See you later'. I think they're better with that type of thing over here.
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''We do a lot more rehabilitation. When a player has to resort to those types of things, is it confidence, or a deficiency in their mental health, or is it just trying to be a better player?''
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Raper said players who had been banned for alcohol abuse deserved the same help and support. ''There's little difference,'' he said. ''It's looking to a substance to help you, and you can't handle being without it.''
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Police were called to Newton's house shortly after 2pm on Sunday UK time. They found his body in the garage where, in the past, he had injected himself with human growth hormone and where he had hidden 20 syringes from his wife and two young daughters.
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The former Leeds, Wigan, Bradford and Wakefield hooker, one of the game's more colourful characters, was the first professional sportsman in the world to test positive for human growth hormones, the Guardian reported.
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His career hit the heights when he played in all three Tests of the 2003 Ashes series but it ended abruptly this year with a four-year drugs ban. It is thought he took his own life after becoming depressed over both his career and private life.
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Newton had his playing contract cancelled by Wakefield in February.
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A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: ''Police were called to a house on Harswell Close in Orrell, Wigan, following a report of concern for welfare.
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''Officers went to the address and found the body of a 31-year-old man. Inquiries have been launched, but there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances.''
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Newton's former Great Britain teammate Sean Long described Newton as ''a tough bloke on the pitch but a top guy to have a pint with'', revealing he had spoken to Newton on Saturday, the Daily Mirror reported.
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''He was running a fundraising event in his pub and he was in good spirits,'' Long said. ''Then I got the phone call today to say he was dead. It's devastating.''
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Former Great Britain centre Garry Schofield called the death ''an absolutely tragic loss,'' The Sun reported.
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In a television interview just three weeks ago, Newton admitted he wanted to play again.
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''Every day I wish I was going to training with the lads,'' he had said. ''I miss the craic.''
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Rugby Football League chairman Richard Lewis said in a statement: ''We are deeply shocked and saddened by the news of Terry's untimely death. This is a personal tragedy and our thoughts are with Terry's partner, his children and his family at this terrible time.''
