The $30 million toe in the water

Vinnie Jones, the former footballer and Hollywood action hero, has revealed the darkest moment of his life in a new Netflix documentary. The 61-year-old recounts his suicidal thoughts after biting a journalist's nose in a 1995 assault, shedding light on his battles with alcoholism and mental health.

Football ace Vinnie Jones now leads a quiet life on a farm in West Sussex with his girlfriend Emma Ford.. But many will remember him being part of Wimbledon's FA Cup-winning 'Crazy Gang' in the 1980s, before going on to become a 'hard man' in Hollywood action movies.

But behind his hardman persona, the star has faced many hardships, including alcoholism, mental health struggles, and the loss of his wife Tanya. In a new Netflix documentary titled Untold UK: Vinnie Jones, the former footballer recalled having suicidal thoughts after his 1995 assault on journalist Ted Oliver.

Why 4,000 unsold units became the prize

The incident happened in a Dublin hotel following an abandoned England-Ireland football match. The footballer suddenly grabbed Daily Mirror journalist Ted Oliver, put him in a headlock, and clamped his teeth around the reporter's nose. he explained to the shocked newspaperman: 'I only do that to people I like.'

The renowned journalist then requested a photographer and splashed the story on the front page the following morning. Vinnie was also reported to the FA. At the time, Vinnie was also working as a columnist for News Of The World, which Piers Morgan was the editor of.

An echo of Sydney's 2024 institutional buy-up

Following a party before the game, Vinnie thought he could report on the match from just watching it in the bar. However, due to a riot caused by Combat 18, the game was abandoned. 'I mean when's the last time an international game gets abandoned? How's my luck?' Vinnie said.

'I'm having a beer in the hotel. Before you know it, now... You're pretty p****d up. And I'll be totally honest, I don't really know what was said or what happened because of the booze. And then the next minute, I was front page, not the abandoned game.'

Who is the unnamed buyer?

Vinnie defended his actions, claiming that the bite was a 'prank that went wrong'. however, when he asked Ted not to publish the story, he firmly replied: 'You should have thought about all that.'

Oliver wrote a detailed, front-page exposé and documented Vinnie's other erratic behavior from that night. This included thrwing toast at Gary Lineker, pouring orange juice on another reporter, and disputing a hotel bill.

Tehran's two-track response

In the docuemntary, Vinnie recalled the dark aftermath. 'I took the gun. Walked up the wood, and then... All stupid things go through your head.'

Sharing his version of events, Piers said: 'He got very drunk. and he got into a fracas, it was described to me, with a guy called Ted Oliver. And he bit half his nose off.'

What auditors flagged in the May filing

Despite remaining strong in front of the public, Vinnie was suffering with his mental health from the fallout. Speaking on his behaviour, former Wimbledon manager Bobby Gould said: 'I could tell that this is not right. The way he was talking and the way he was behaving. The alcohol was doing something way out of order.'

Vinnie explained that it was not the culture at the time to get somebody to give you help. 'So I go back to the booze again.'

Due to the public backlash from the incident, Piers ultimately had to sack Vinnie due to his actions, despite him releasing a mea culpa. 'I didn't want to fire him. I loved Vinnie. personally, I loved him. Professionally, he was a brilliant columnist. But I underestimated just how much it got to him.'

Vinnie then found himself in a mentally vulnerable position. He explained: 'I was on the bed and was just curled up in the, you know, in like, the baby position. I was just curled up like that. And I was like... Enough. Can't keep doing this to people. Can't do it to the family.'

This raw account highlights the intense pressure and stigma surrounding mental health in the world of professional sports and Hollywood fame. Vinnie's story is a cautionary tale of how addiction and grief can spiral into life-threatening despair if left unaddressed.