Oldham’s Jose Baxter on drugs ban, depression and hitting ‘rock bottom’
BBC Online :
Jose Baxter seemed set for a glorious career at the age of 16, but poor choices meant his life take a turn for the worse, with his problems deepening after he received a drugs ban while at Sheffield United in 2015.
He acknowledged hitting “rock bottom” – but has turned his life around and now, aged 27, is playing in League Two for Oldham Athletic, under the management of former England and Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes.
In a revealing interview with Football Focus’s Juliette Ferrington, Baxter explains how he has rediscovered his love for the game.
I was young, stupid. I had quite a lot of success in my early years and I think that brought the wrong crowd in terms of people, the yes men. I didn’t have the type of people telling me, ‘No, that’s the wrong thing to do.’
It’s something that I have learned from. It’s made me a lot wiser, a lot more grown up. It’s something that I can use as a positive when I’m speaking to younger footballers on what not to do.
I didn’t really know the real world. It was like [a] silver spoon [upbringing at Everton]. I was in a bubble, being on quite a lot of money at a young age. I didn’t really know any boundaries in terms of money, going out and spending stupid stuff, and doing silly stuff.
Jose Baxter seemed set for a glorious career at the age of 16, but poor choices meant his life take a turn for the worse, with his problems deepening after he received a drugs ban while at Sheffield United in 2015.
He acknowledged hitting “rock bottom” – but has turned his life around and now, aged 27, is playing in League Two for Oldham Athletic, under the management of former England and Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes.
In a revealing interview with Football Focus’s Juliette Ferrington, Baxter explains how he has rediscovered his love for the game.
I was young, stupid. I had quite a lot of success in my early years and I think that brought the wrong crowd in terms of people, the yes men. I didn’t have the type of people telling me, ‘No, that’s the wrong thing to do.’
It’s something that I have learned from. It’s made me a lot wiser, a lot more grown up. It’s something that I can use as a positive when I’m speaking to younger footballers on what not to do.
I didn’t really know the real world. It was like [a] silver spoon [upbringing at Everton]. I was in a bubble, being on quite a lot of money at a young age. I didn’t really know any boundaries in terms of money, going out and spending stupid stuff, and doing silly stuff.
