Football: Kind-Hearted Kelly Saved Paul Merson’s Life; Says former FA media relations officer MIKE PARRY
0 Comments | People (London, England), The, Dec 27, 1998
MIKE PARRY – media relations officer of the FA from 1994-95 – has often been critical of the style of Graham Kelly, who was FA chief executive until being forced out in the row over grants to the Welsh FA. But Parry also believes Kelly’s treatmen t of Paul Merson shows a special side to him that the world should know about. WHEN Aston Villa star Paul Merson walks down a street and sees a lottery sign coming up, he crosses the road to make sure he is not tempted to buy a ticket.
If he’s reading a newspaper he skips right over the racing pages and if he sees racing on the television he immediately turns it off.
Such are the dangers of temptation to a man who has been to hell and back to beat the addictions of gambling and drink and who fought another battle to give up cocaine.
But few realise it was a crucial decision by then FA Chief Executive Graham Kelly to help Merson rather than punish him that led to the recovery Merson made.
At the start of December 1994 Kelly was in a critical meeting that was going to affect football for ever.
After an hour of discussions he took off his glasses, rested his head in one of his hands and said: “This is the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make.”
Kelly’s problem was what action to take following revelations that Merson, the 26-year-old England star then playing for Arsenal, had confessed to being a cocaine user. Newspaper accounts had told of drinking binges, snorting coke in pub toilets and out-of-control gambling debts.
Merson was already notorious as part of a drinking school at Arsenal which included England captain Tony Adams, who is now also reformed.
The meeting which Kelly was chairing was taking place in top secret at a Hilton hotel in north London, opposite Lord’s cricket ground.
Those sitting around the table were Kelly, myself as FA press officer, Alan Hodson, head of medical education, and Mark Gay, a solicitor.
Kelly had already been contacted by people in the game demanding that Merson be made an example of. That would have been the easy thing to do.
But was the right course of action to banish Merson from the game for life as an example – or to refer him to the medical authorities for treatment? The problem was nobody in the room had seen or spoken to Merson. His story had exploded onto the front pages of the newspapers and the footballer had fled abroad.
But later that morning we were to move on to a second location where we were going to meet with the Arsenal star and club officials.
Hodson became a key figure in the whole affair. He expressed fears that without firm action other cases like Merson’s would arise.
Alan had already become aware of speculation in the game that drug abuse was becoming widespread.
He pointed out the dangers. He told the meeting: “These young men in football get paid fortunes compared to other people of their age and there are plenty of predators out there who want to take their money off them. Drugs is one way of doing it.”
Alan was particularly concerned about rumours that had been filtering out of the north-west that certain young players had already been experiencing difficulties with drugs. He wanted the whole situation brought out into the open because he felt the problem was not going to be tackled properly unless all the clubs, the FA and the medical authorities got together.
Gay was the most sympathetic and urged that Merson should be given help not punishment.
In the end Kelly decided, rightly, to wait to speak to the footballer to find out whether Merson had just sold his story to pay off mounting gambling debts – or whether it had been a cry for help.
He didn’t have to wait long for an answer
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