A matter of life and death

The suicide rate among retired professionals is worryingly high. The Times’ journalist Matthew Pryor talks to a former player, Richard Doughty - who himself considered taking his own life - and finds out why.

"When I hit my bad time, from 2001 until last summer, I kept saying to myself things will get better," says Doughty, who has played for Gloucestershire and Surrey. "But two ex-wives, four kids, one testicle, diabetic, no qualifications, I had nothing, absolutely nothing I had to try and change the way I was living, or I could put a little noose around my neck and jump off the banisters. I’ve thought about it."

Read the full story and discover how he found help.