Chris Sutton gave his most emotional interview this morning as he discussed the impact of Dementia on his Dad, Mike.
At every step in his life, from schoolboy through to top footballer involved in a £5m and a £10m transfer before 2000 his Dad had been with him all the way.
Moving to Celtic gave Sutton the best years of his life but as everyone now knows success is a sideshow compared to the real life issues that players have to deal with like anyone else.
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Over the last few years the former Celtic striker has carved out an impressive media portfolio, enjoying Punch and Judy style partnerships with Ally McCoist and Robbie Savage.
In tandem with that he has discovered that the curse of footballers, Dementia, had struck his Dad.
Off camera Sutton spent as much time as possible with his Mum and Dad, watching Mike deteriorate from the strong, sporting, father figure to someone in need of care as the impact of a horrible illness took hold.
Huge thanks to the brilliant @sallynugent for this interview. In any other industry preventative measures would have been put into place already. It’s common sense to reduce heading in training and to implement temporary concussion subs. What are the authorities waiting for?? https://t.co/7kVt3kxrAN
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) April 6, 2021
All around him Sutton heard of other former players going through the same suffering, including Billy McNeill. For as long as it takes Sutton will lead from the front for justice for footballers who gave so much but who now pay a horrendous price with their families.
Among the most recent players diagnosed with Dementia are Gordon McQueen and Willie Young.
Please watch. @chris_sutton73 has simple and clear suggestions to protect amateur and professional players from the long term effects of heading the ball. https://t.co/byDXPry96h
— Sally Nugent (@sallynugent) April 6, 2021
CLICK HERE for Sutton’s story on the BBC website