I have great admiration for both the Johns brothers following this. It would have been so easy for Andrew to hide behind the NRL, perhaps passing the buck onto the Knights or other league officals, maybe even deny an ongoing problem, stating it was a once off or that his mum had given it to him, disgused as a a cold and flu tablet. But he did not take the easy way out, there was no cop out for either Matty or Joey, both taking responsibility for their own actions, Joey for his drug and alcohol abuse, Matty for, in his words "being to gutless to help his brother when he needed it". I've always loved Matthew, and the way he has stuck by Andrew through this really speaks to his character, especially when admitting his own faults and failures in this affair, when it would have been easy to deny any knowledge of Joeys deeds, or at the very least, distance himself from the whole affair. But instead, he has rallied all his support for his brother.
When it comes to Joey, he is, in my eyes, still a legend. And when the time comes, he should be counted in the Immortals of league. This drug taking did not enhance his performance, rather it was used as a crutch for his own debilitating illness. I too have Bipolar disorder, and have turned to drugs and alcohol as a way of dealing with the overwhelming isolation it provokes, when you feel that sort of desolation and despair, you will do just about anything to feel something else. And when something as enticing as ecstacy comes along, with promises of not just allowing you a few hours reprive from abhoring yourself, bringing you out of that bottomless pit if only for a few hours - it makes you feel great about yourself, about life. It reminds you of the times when you felt great, powerful. As though you could take on any hurtle and beat it with ease. How could you say no? Then, when you reach manic stages, you feel invincible anyway. You can do whatever you want and get away with it. These manic episodes are not just a sense of an inflated ego. Itr's a delusion, in a very real sense, of graundure. You do not just feel important, you KNOW you are. This sense of superiority and grandure is as real to you as the sky and the sand. But it isn't all fun. The irriability, rages and anger that soon follow are hard to control and leave you feeling as empty and hollow as the depression does.
Joey not only forced the public to face the pain of not only Bipolar disorder and it's side effects, but all mental illnesses. He showed Australia it's not just the sterotypical homeless person talking to themselves on Eddy Ave that suffering these debilitating disorders, that if someone like Him can fall victim to mental illness, anyone can. That we need to stop placing all addicts and mental health patients in the "dont touch, can't help" pile and face the fact this is a very real problem that needs addressing. If Joey can fall to Bipolar, anyone can. It's no longer a disease we are far removed from. And I can only hope his addmission will force the general public to wake up and realise how much of a problem it is.
He fucked up. As did everyone who supported him. And you know what that makes him? An addict? A poor role model? an evil man who does not deserve respect? NO. This makes him and everyone involved nothing more than an ordinary human, capable of bad decsions and poorly thought through actions. It does not take him off his pedestool, where he rightly belongs for his amazing performance and talent as a footballer. It just makes him closer to us, in the sense that he too is cabable of mistakes. If anything, I have more respect, he was able to stand up, admitt the depths of his mistakes and take responsibility for them. How many other prominent figures in our community can say they would do they same?