LONDON — Former England striker Andy Carroll has thanked the public for its overwhelming support after speaking publicly about being sexually assaulted at his home in 2021, an incident the 36-year-old feared he would never fully recover from. The Gateshead-born forward, who scored 34 goals across two spells with Newcastle United and now is a player and co-owner of National League South side Dagenham, said the assault occurred while he was asleep during his second spell with Newcastle.
The perpetrator, a friend of Carroll's former partner who was away at the time, was jailed for 20 months in 2023 after being convicted of sexual offences. Carroll identified the man as television dance coach Kevin Adams, who appeared on the BBC series Fame Academy in 2002, in an interview with the Sun. Speaking to the Football Uncensored podcast, Carroll said the response to going public had been overwhelming: "I've been beating myself up about it, and as soon as I've said it the support that I've received has been massive," he said.
"And I think that's the main thing really for me, that if I said that five years ago when it happened, maybe I would have felt a lot better now and then got over it," Carroll said. "I'm happy with who I am, I'm happy with how I've dealt with it, and I've got the support around me with my partner, my family and friends, and now the public." Carroll, who also played for Liverpool and West Ham and described the assault in his autobiography 'Owning It', said he subsequently threw the man out of his home before knocking him unconscious when he tried to get back inside. He described giving evidence in court as "humiliating and embarrassing and absolutely horrendous."
"It was eating me alive inside for so long," Carroll said. "There's certain things you can't get over, and I'll never, ever get over that. But now I know that people can see who I was then, in that time, and what I've been through and they help me and support me." Adams has not commented publicly since Carroll named him as the man who attacked him. Details of help and support with sexual abuse or violence is available via the BBC Action Line.