Suicide footballer dabbled in drugs

Paul O'Grady in his Latics days

A FORMER Latics youth team player killed himself after developing a cocaine habit.

Paul O’Grady (25) was found by his mother on September 27, last year, hanging from a belt in his bedroom.

A Manchester inquest heard how Paul, from Stansfield Street, Newton Heath, used the drug on nights out, and had started using it during the day as well.

A post-mortem examination revealed there was cocaine and a small quantity of alcohol in his system when he died. Girl friend Leanne Rule said Paul’s death was a shock as she had not been overly concerned about his drug habit.

She added: “Cocaine is just something everyone does on a recreational basis.”

But coroner Nigel Meadows hit out at Class A drug abuse.

He said it may well have caused Paul to act in more extreme ways than he might otherwise have done. Recording a verdict of suicide, Mr Meadows said: “There is no such thing as recreational drug use.

“Paul was taking cocaine regularly. Dabbling in drugs is a dangerous thing. Paul was ill at the time because of cocaine. He wasn’t himself.”

Paul was a member of the Latics youth side of 2001/02 which included the likes of Will Haining, Scott Vernon and Danny Hall, who all went on to carve out first-team careers at Boundary Park. O’Grady was released.