League One star reveals he stopped a stranger from ending his life in chance meeting by train tracks
JAMES BROPHY knows better than most that people can become so desperate they think life is no longer worth living.
If the truth of that was ever brought home to him, it was on Easter Sunday morning this year — when he stopped a stranger from ending it all.
And while the Cambridge winger did not exactly start this season full of joy himself after a nightmare start, he declared: “One point from your first nine games? That’s just football.
“What that man was going through that morning, that’s something very different all together.
“People can find themselves in some very dark places and I’m afraid mental health issues are something I’m all too familiar with.
“My grandfather suffered from depression and one of my brothers suffers from it too — so I know how really tough that can be.
“So if I would ever see someone considering what that man was considering, I would always stop.
“I was speaking to him probably for about 20 to 30 minutes, just trying to talk to him about life, really.
“I said to him: ‘Look, I can’t feel your pain, or I can’t compare what you’re feeling’.
“But I told him about stuff that’s happened in my family and friends and shared stories with him.
“Then the police arrived and about 30 minutes later, a police counsellor came and she was really good.
“She took over the conversation from me and got him to a place where he was able to sit on the kerb.
“When I got to him he was on the bridge with a railway track on it that takes you into Cambridge. He was on the other side of the barrier on the railway side, ready to jump.
“In fairness to the policewoman, I couldn’t talk him into getting over the other side of the barrier.
“My team-mate Macauley Bonne turned up too — he had seen my car and thought it had broken down. He was a big help through it all, talking to the bloke.
“I’m just glad the police were able to get him safe and away — I just did what I thought needed to be done.
“You can say what you like about that morning and my role in it.
“But what else could I have done but stop? In my mind it was just the right thing do and I’d do it again.”
The 30-year-old and Bonne, 29, later got a visit from Chief Superintendent Jon Hutchinson in praise of their actions — while the club called the pair “inspirational”.
And things have lightened up on the pitch too after that terrible start.
The U’s have won three games in a row without conceding a goal going into Saturday’s clash at Peterborough.
Brophy even scored his first goal in three years to see off Woking in last week’s 1–0 FA Cup first-round win.
He added: “In football just like in life, you’ve got to just keep on going no matter the challenges — a bit like me not scoring for so long!
“Garry Monk’s a top manager, we’ve got good players here — sometimes things can come down to the finest of margins. It’s how you deal with tough times and we’ve shown we can do that.”
Help for mental health
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support.
The following are free to contact and confidential:
- Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123, jo@samartiands.org.uk
- CALM (the leading movement against suicide in men) www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Papyrus (prevention of young suicide) www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Shout (for support of all mental health) www.giveusashout.org/get-help/, text 85258 to start a conversation
Mind, www.mind.org, provide information about types of mental health problems and where to get help for them. Email info@mind.org.uk or call the infoline on 0300 123 3393 (UK landline calls are charged at local rates, and charges from mobile phones will vary).
YoungMinds run a free, confidential parents helpline on 0808 802 5544 for parents or carers worried about how a child or young person is feeling or behaving. The website has a chat option too.
Rethink Mental Illness, www.rethink.org, gives advice and information service offers practical advice on a wide range of topics such as The Mental Health Act, social care, welfare benefits, and carers rights. Use its website or call 0300 5000 927 (calls are charged at your local rate).
Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk, is the a mental health initiative spearheaded by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.
