Pessotto's Leap

Gianlucca Pessotto's leap from the top floor of Juventus's offices in Turin seems at this point to have nothing to do with the club's match fixing scandal.

Instead it is becoming clear that he was unhappy with his role at the club and had been suffering from depression.

The BBC reported that his wife said, "He kept telling me that there was too much difference between being on the field and behind a desk," she said.

Hmm. I think that many ex-players suffer from this problem and people do not fully appreciate the emotions that result. The assumption is often that the player was strong and heroic and positive on the field and that therefore he will automatically transfer those qualities to "the real world". But it doesn't necessarily work that way.

Italy captain and Juventus defender, Fabio Cannavaro said, "I'm devastated. Pessotto was the nicest guy in the world."

I wonder if it's the nice guys who have the most trouble making the transition

...and are the most likely to become complete opposites when their careers end

...and are most capable of a suicide attempt...