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LONDON - One in four professional footballers said they suffer symptoms of anxiety and depression in a new study into the sports largely unexplored "dark side" of mental illness. The mental health of recently retired professional footballers was even more worrisome, with one in three reporting signs of anxiety and depression. Some 300 current and former professionals — from the Netherlands, Major League Soccer, Scotland, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand — took part in the study for the players union, FIFPro. While football can draw on reams of scientific study about players physical injuries, little research has previously been done into their mental health, and mental health problems have remained very much taboo in the sport, FIFPro chief medical officer Vincent Gouttebarge said. "There is definitely some dark side of professional football," he said in an interview. "We dont talk about mental health issues in football, or we didnt talk about this issue," he added. "Its quite a macho culture so people do not talk about it." Gouttebarge said the studys findings suggest that professional footballers are no less prone to mental illness than other younger people in the general population. He said that might surprise fans who believe footballers live comfortable, worry-free lives, with media attention often focusing on the wealth of the most successful players. "Contrary to what people think, professional footballers experience psychological problems just like other groups in the population," Gouttebarge said. Among the 180 active footballers who responded to the lengthy questionnaire, 10 per cent reported symptoms of distress, five per cent reported signs of burnout and three per cent said they suffered from low self-esteem. Nearly 20 per cent reported problems with alcohol, which Gouttebarge said could include binge drinking and regularly drinking too much, and seven per cent said they smoked. The 121 former professionals who responded on average had 12-year playing careers and have been retired for five years. Fifteen per cent showed signs of burnout and 18 per cent signs of distress. One in three reported drinking problems, 12 per cent smoked, and 39 per cent reported suffering from depression and anxiety. Gouttebarge said that could include worrying, mood swings, difficulties sleeping, feeling stressed, not being sociable or a combination of symptoms. "Mental illness seems to occur among former professional footballers more often than in current players, and more often than in other populations. Consequently, mental illness among former professional footballers cannot be underestimated and should be a subject of interest for all stakeholders in football," the study said. Retirement was "really a critical period," with players abruptly losing the structure of regular training and the support of being in a club, Gouttebarge said. "You have to find a new life," he said. "It can put you under a lot of stress." Long-term injuries and surgeries that take players out of the game and away from close, regular contact with teammates can also be factors in mental health problems. Being forced to stop playing professionally because of injury or because clubs wont offer another contract can be particularly hard to cope with, Gouttebarge noted. "This has been recognized in other sports as a huge cause of mental health issues," he said. "The guy who is willing to retire or to stop his career is really (in) a different kind of situation to the one who is forced to retire." He called the study "a good first step" toward identifying the scope of mental health issues in football. The survey is expanding to players in France and from French-speaking nations in Africa, with plans to also study players in Spanish-speaking countries and Japan, Gouttebarge said. Dwayne Harris Jersey . 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Seitzer replaces Greg Walker, who was assisted by Scott Fletcher this season as the Braves finished 79-83.SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- It certainly wasnt an ideal way to start an important road trip. The Washington Wizards squandered an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter and eventually lost in overtime to the lowly Sacramento Kings. Isaiah Thomas had his first career triple double with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to help the Kings beat the Wizards 117-111 in overtime on Tuesday night. DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay each added 24 points for the Kings, who rallied in the fourth to send the game into overtime and simply outplayed the Wizard in the extra period to snap a two-game losing streak. Veteran centre Marcin Gortat felt the Wizards let up late in regulation and it cost them a victory. "We were up five points (with 24 seconds left) and celebrating like we had already won the game," said Gortat, who had a physical battle all game with Cousins, the Kings highly aggressive young centre. "We loosened up way too much. We got punished for being too cocky." It was a rare loss for the Wizards, who had won 10 of 13 games before falling to the Kings for the fourth straight time at Sleep Train Arena. After being quiet through three quarters, it was Gay and Cousins delivering big time for the Kings in both the fourth period and overtime. Cousins, who finished with 14 rebounds, had 12 points in the fourth quarter and opened the overtime with two quick baskets and finished with seven points in OT. Gay made numerous clutch shots late in the game and continued that trend in the fourth quarter. He had 10 points in the fourth and six more in overtime. "To turn it around, go up by 11 points and give the game away, it hurts," said Drew Gooden, who scored 18 points in a reserve role. "They executed down the stretch and we couldnt get any rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins is a load." Bradley Beal had 19 points and Gortat also had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Wizards. They had won six of their previous seven road games. John Wall had 14 before fouling out in overtime. The loss prevented Washington from moving within a game of Chicago, which has the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards (35-32) drop to sixth in tthe East, one percentage point behind Brooklyn (34-31).dddddddddddd. "Give (Washington coach) Randy Wittman and that team a lot of credit. They are one of the surprising teams in the Eastern Conference and they are trying to get a home-court advantage in the first round," Kings coach Michael Malone said. Gay broke a tie with a jumper and Thomas made a pair of free throws to give Sacramento a 115-111 lead with 13 seconds left. Thomas clinched the victory with two free throws in the closing seconds. Thomas, a 5-foot-9 guard who was a second-round draft pick three years ago, became the Kings starting point guard early this season and has responded by scoring 20 or more points 42 times this season. The triple-double was the first for Sacramento since Cousins had had one against New York on Dec. 28, 2012. "That was big and its great for Isaiah," Gay said. "Im proud of him for the fact that he effected the game in every successful category today. Size doesnt matter. He plays with fire." Trailing by five points in overtime, Ariza hit a 3, Wall converted on a fastbreak layup and Beal made a 3-pointer, giving Washington a 109-107 lead. But consecutive baskets by Cousins and Gay put the Kings ahead by two with 1:01 left. Beal made both free throws to put the Wizards in front 100-95. But a Thomas three and a running shot along the baseline by Gay tied the game at 100 with 5.6 seconds remaining. Beal missed a jumper in the final seconds. Washington started the fourth quarter with eight straight points to take an 81-70 lead. Cousins helped bring the Kings back, scoring eight consecutive points, the final two on a dunk that cut the Washington lead to 86-81 midway through the fourth. NOTES: The Washington starters shot 5 of 20 in the opening quarter and the Wizards trailed 30-19. ... Prior the game, the Kings signed Royce White to a second 10-day contact. He was not activated for the game. White, who was drafted by Houston in 2012, has been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and has never played an NBA game. ... Webster had a four-point play late in the third quarter. ... The Kings are 4-2 in overtime games this season, while the Wizards are 4-7. 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