Former England striker Andy Carroll has disclosed that he was sexually assaulted at his home in 2021, recounting the experience in his autobiography, Owning It. Carroll, 37, is now a player, part-owner and interim manager of National League South side Dagenham & Redbridge.

The incident occurred during Carroll’s second spell at Newcastle United. He writes that the offender, a friend of his former partner who was staying at the house, assaulted him while he slept; Carroll called police after the man attempted to re-enter the property.
Carroll described the subsequent court process, in which he gave evidence, as “humiliating and embarrassing and absolutely horrendous.”

The offender denied the allegation but was convicted of sexual offences after trial. He received a three-year prison sentence, was placed on the National Sex Offender Register and banned from entering the village where Carroll lived.

Carroll said the assault affected “every facet” of his life and that he made the difficult decision to include it in the book shortly before publication.
His decision to speak publicly adds to wider efforts to confront sexual violence against men and challenge assumptions about who can be a victim.