By Kevin Hillier
While football might be a very big part of his life – his profession, in fact – it’s a job and not the only one he will have in his lifetime.
I am not underplaying the importance the support he has received and will receive from the North Melbourne Football Club and how crucial that might be in his recovery.
The scenario behind that report is interesting and revealing about the invasive aspects of being an AFL footballer.
Dom Tyson – a new recruit to North Melbourne – was asked about Majak’s recovery. Tyson has not yet played a game with North Melbourne, has not played with Majak, is not a close friend, is not a doctor. But in the insatiable quest for a sound bite, he was asked about the situation. How unfair is that? He probably should have deferred to a club official, but he didn’t, giving an answer that was perfectly reasonable.
Daw’s own open letter to the public addressed the playing issue, saying: “I hope to be back out there playing in the blue and white stripes soon.”
Football is a multi-million dollar business and thousands make their livelihood through it, but it is still a game. It is a game that maybe helped Majak and many others assimilate to life in a new country and that is a good thing. Only Majak can decide what part it will play in his recovery. He has made his statement. Nothing more needs to be said. I will be surprised, though, if the media lets that be the case.
There is no doubt the mental health issue is being taken more seriously. The “get over it” and “harden up” attitudes are being adjusted.
It is very much an inexact science and problems are extremely difficult to identify from the outside, but those inside the black cloud know only too well it is real. Unlike a broken leg, the scars are not visible and the healing process is not in any textbook. ■
