Former England forward Andy Carroll has said in his autobiography he was sexually assaulted by a man during 2021.
The 37-year-old included the details in his book, titled "Owning It." As a victim of sexual assault, Carroll was automatically granted anonymity.
Carroll said the incident took place at his home during a second spell at Newcastle. The offender -- a friend of his former partner, who was staying away at the time -- was later jailed for three years, with Carroll having testified in court.
Former Liverpool and West Ham striker Carroll, who is now a player/co-owner of National League South club Dagenham & Redbridge, said the incident happened when he was sleeping. He said he then threw the man out of the house, and knocked him unconscious when he attempted to get back inside.
Andy Carroll has said he was sexually assaulted in 2021. Photo by Jordan Pettitt/PA Images via Getty Images "I was sexually assaulted, there I said it. Scary to even think about and only a few people knew about it before now," wrote Carroll, who had decided to include the incident in his book "at the very last minute" after discussing it with his girlfriend, Lou Teasdale.
"Me and Lou spent a lot of time discussing whether to mention it in this book or not. I avoided my publisher for so long that they probably suspected I got cold feet.
"Scary to talk about but it's made [me] the person I am today as much as any of the good stuff. And if me talking about it helps just one person then good, it will have been worth it."
Carroll said testifying in court, where the attacker was found guilty of sexual offences and placed on the sex offender register, was "humiliating and embarrassing and absolutely horrendous."
The 37-year-old said: "What happened to me affected every facet of my life. I'd think about it every day, making it difficult to focus on anything else, including football... The trauma of what happened to me hasn't gone away."