Opinion: Sad story of former Chelsea academy player now homeless

[James 5,142]

I wanted to highlight this story as much as I can because I haven’t seen much on it, and it needs more light shining on it. The rollercoaster story of Jacob Mellis reminds me of how quickly fortunes can change for some people, how dreams can be so close, and then so far away. It […]

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[Stats 6,982]

Wow, had no idea about this. Really sad. Fully remember him making that brief cameo for us. I also remember when he got sacked for the smoke bomb incident. I thought it was harsh for the sack, albeit a stupid thing to do from the player himself, considering he did not bring it in to the premises. Ironically, the other player involved, Billy Clifford, completely fell off as well and plays at Conference level and in recent seasons has been playing semi-pro level.

Also shows how much protection and after-care player needs after being released from a club at a young age. Mental health must go through the roof. Also need to be financially advised well too because a lot of players pursue football without any education and if there is nothing to fall back on, can be difficult. I hope he does get the best support needed.