Andy Carroll has revealed he was sexually assaulted by a man at his home in 2021 during his second spell with Newcastle United. The former England striker disclosed the attack in his autobiography, published on Thursday, confirming the perpetrator was jailed for three years.
Carroll, 37, said he decided to include the incident in the book “at the very last minute” after discussing it with his girlfriend Lou Teasdale. The assault happened while Carroll was asleep, when a friend of his then-partner, who was away, had come to watch a boxing match and was staying over.
After waking to the attack, Carroll threw the man out of his house. When the attacker tried to return, Carroll knocked him unconscious. Following the incident, Carroll called the police and said he was “sobbing” in the arms of his children’s nanny.
The unnamed assailant was found guilty of sexual offences and placed on the sex offender register, according to Carroll. He testified in court, describing the process as “humiliating and embarrassing and absolutely horrendous.”
In his book, Carroll wrote: “I was sexually assaulted, there I said it. Scary to even think about and only a few people knew about it before now.” He added that he and Teasdale spent “a lot of time discussing whether to mention it in this book or not,” and that he had avoided his publisher for some time, likely causing them to suspect he had “got cold feet.”
The former Liverpool and West Ham forward said the trauma of the assault affected every part of his life. “I'd think about it every day, making it difficult to focus on anything else, including football,” he wrote. “The trauma of what happened to me hasn't gone away.”
Carroll began his career at Newcastle before moving to Liverpool and West Ham, also playing abroad with French clubs Amiens and Bordeaux. He won nine caps for England during his career.
In July 2025, Carroll joined non-league side Dagenham & Redbridge as a player and co-owner. He has made six appearances in the National League South this season.
The disclosure marks one of the few times a high-profile male footballer has publicly shared experiences of sexual assault. Carroll said, “if me talking about it helps just one person then good, it will have been worth it.”
Carroll’s autobiography is the first time he has spoken openly about the attack, which happened while he was still active in professional football. The man convicted of the offence is serving a three-year prison sentence.
According to Yahoo Sports.