Pontypool CEO Ben Jeffreys takes leave of absence to battle depression
Welsh club Pontypool RFC have confirmed that Ben Jeffreys has taken a temporary leave of absence as the club’s chief executive officer to receive inpatient hospital treatment for depression.
In a statement, the club said: “Ben has been admitted to Priory Hospital Bristol and will give his full focus to addressing these mental health challenges in the coming weeks.
“Everybody at Pontypool RFC stands behind Ben as he takes this positive step and we look forward to welcoming him back to Pontypool Park as soon as he feels he is ready to return to the club.
“Please remember that #ItsOkayNotToBeOkay and if you are concerned about yourself or a loved one, mental health helplines and support groups can offer expert advice.”
In a walesonline.co.uk interview last October for World Mental Health Day, Jeffreys spoke about how an obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) drove him to the brink of suicide and how working at Pontypool RFC saved his life in 2013 following a serious illness to his wife and his dad suffering a stroke shortly after paying off all outstanding debts and taking full control of the rugby club.
.@PontypoolRFC is saddened to confirm that @BenJeffreys is to take a temporary leave of absence as the club’s CEO to receive inpatient hospital treatment for depression.
We fully support Ben's decision to ask for help.
Statement → https://t.co/kFVuQUW62v#ItsOkayNotToBeOkay pic.twitter.com/SMTdDfyVZ9
— Pontypool RFC (@PontypoolRFC) March 6, 2020
“I was suicidal but was not able to pull the trigger,” he admitted about a period in his life where he collapsed with exhaustion. “I would cross roads not looking, hoping a bus or car was coming and the driver would end it all.
“But my condition, coupled with the fear of losing the two people closest to me, meant I was about to hit absolute rock bottom. After volunteering for several months to get the club back up and running, I was appointed chief executive officer.
“Understand this:
You can sound confident and have anxiety.
You can look healthy but feel like shit.
You can look happy and be miserable inside.
You can be good looking and feel ugly.
So be kind, because every person is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” https://t.co/zmEO5RyhLU
— Ben Jeffreys (@BenJeffreys) February 15, 2020
“I felt totally undeserving of the role at the time, particularly when I was still coming to terms with my father’s ill health, as well as battling with my own mental health.
“Nonetheless, I believe it came at the right time. I needed a sense of purpose and an opportunity to grow as a person. In short, Pontypool RFC saved my life.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Good luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
37 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
37 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
37 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
37 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
37 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
37 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
37 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to comments