‘Couldn’t roll out of bed’: The story Greg Inglis shares in a bid to save lives

Greg Inglis has become more comfortable speaking about his struggles than his triumphs.

Everyone knows Inglis’ footballing story; the tries, the premierships, the successes at NRL, State of Origin and Test level. Now ‘GI’ is showing a different type of strength by opening up about his battles off the field.

It’s part of an initiative run out of his Goanna Academy, the ‘Stick With It’ campaign that will result in some of the game’s biggest names getting behind the suicide prevention campaign in round 22. The specially branded sports strapping tape is a prompt to start a conversation or seek help for their mental health.

“When I go out and share my story, it’s open, it’s honest, it’s real, it’s raw,” Inglis said.

“And by the end of it, then it just showcases that I’m just another human being, a normal person.

“Maybe somebody else in the room is going through the same struggles that I am.”

After retiring from rugby league, Inglis was diagnosed with anxiety, depression and bipolar II disorder.

“I wasn’t dealing too well with it, so I turned to alcohol, I turned to prescription drugs,” Inglis said.

“Before I knew it, I was lost for five days. It really hit home for me. Friends and family were ringing around hospitals, ringing around police stations trying to figure out where I was.

“I got to some days and some nights where I couldn’t wake up and put pants on. I just couldn’t roll out of bed.

“After those five days, I went back home, detoxed for two weeks before I made my way back down to Sydney, and then checked myself into a rehab facility for three weeks.”

While Inglis’ mental health issues bubbled to the surface after hanging up his boots, he was not immune from it during his playing days. Not long after being appointed Kangaroos captain, Inglis was stripped of the honour after being involved in a drink-driving/speeding incident.

“I take full responsibility for that, I take accountability for that,” Inglis said.

“It was no one’s mistake but mine. It was a massive honour and they made the right decision.

“I got to some days and some nights where I couldn’t wake up and put pants on. I just couldn’t roll out of bed.”

Greg Inglis on his mental health struggles

“If they were to go back and say I’m still the captain, I would have stepped aside and said it’s not right because it’s not setting a good example for our next generations coming through.

“It happened to be around that time in my life [that I was struggling]. It wasn’t the sole reason behind my struggles; it’s before that.

“When I was in rehab, it went back to my early childhood, but I just learned how to deal with it, learned how to put a mask on.

“My way out of it was training and playing. I sort of suppressed my feelings.”

Inglis now acknowledges it is a mistake to do that. The former Storm, Rabbitohs, Maroons and Kangaroos star wants people to seek help given that suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians between 15 and 44, with the rate spiking in Indigneous and remote communities.

“I want to reduce the suicide rate within Australia because it’s four times the rate of the road tolls,” Inglis said.

“I want to reduce the suicide rate in Australia, but also want to increase the numbers of people going to seek mental health clinicians.

“‘Stick With It’ is about the resilience of people, using a sporting tape to showcase that.

“It’s come about through my own mental health struggles. The reason why we’re using this is because if you go to a doctor and you go see something fixed, they put a bandage on it or they put something around it so people can talk about it.

“Why not showcase [the cause by] using athletes to spread the word of mental health by using strapping tape?”

Inglis has almost 260,000 Instagram followers, but has dispensed with social media. Instead, he asks his business managers to curate his content.

“I don’t need that in my life right now. I don’t think I will in the future,” he said.

“Yes, it is a big part of society at the moment, but what I also say to people who are out there is be careful of what you put out there.

“Once it’s out there - if you do carry a voice or an image or are an influencer - make sure you’re sharing the right messaging around whatever you’re promoting.”

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