Editor's note: This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing.
Former England international striker Andy Carroll has revealed that he was the victim of sexual assault in 2021.
Carroll made the revelation in his autobiography "Owning It," which was released on Thursday, Sept. 24.
The 37-year-old said the incident took place after he played a match for Newcastle. Carroll said that a “celebrity mate” of his former partner Lou Teasdale came over to his house while Teasdale was away.
Carroll wrote that he went to bed early after feeling “light-headed” after “a few drinks." He awoke to the man attempting to perform oral sex on him under the bedsheets.
Carroll said he threw the man out of his home and when he returned, he knocked
him unconscious.
The attacker was eventually tried and found guilty of sexual offenses. He was sentenced to three years in prison and placed on the National Sex Offender Register.
Carrolll testified at the trial, a process he said was “humiliating and embarrassing and absolutely horrendous."
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.
"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 has played for nine clubs across a two-decade pro career, including Liverpool, Newcastle and West Ham. He earned nine caps for England between 2010 and 2012.
Currently, Carroll is a player and co-owner of Dagenham & Redbridge, which plays in the sixth tier of English soccer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former England striker Andy Carroll says he was sexually assaulted in 2021
