Cocaine deal row has been really difficult on my kids: Stuart MacGill

Former Australia cricketer Stuart MacGill has admitted to struggling with anxiety, unemployment, and concerns about the mental impact of his situation on his children. MacGill was recently convicted for facilitating a cocaine deal between his partner’s brother and an addictive drugs' dealer.

The 54-year-old was handed a community sentence after acting as the link in a $330,000 exchange for one kilogram of cocaine. The meeting was arranged beneath his restaurant on Sydney’s north shore. Although MacGill denied knowing a drug deal would occur, he admitted to regularly purchasing half a gram of cocaine for $200 from the same dealer.

“I don’t care what people are saying about me, but I do care what was happening to the kids, and I know it has been very difficult for them,” MacGill told the Howie Games podcast. 

“I am very lucky because depression has never been a big thing for me. I get anxious. I won’t lie about that. I get very anxious. People talk about the half-full half-empty situation – well, I’ve always said I’m neither of them, I’m completely empty. And the reason I say that is because if today is the worst day of your life, tomorrow is going to be slightly fuller,” he added.

MacGill, who took 208 wickets in 44 Tests for Australia, said he is relying on the skills he developed during his cricketing career to help get his life back on track. He also expressed concern about the psychological impact his legal troubles may have on his children.

“If you hit rock bottom there is sunshine ahead. If anything particularly bothers me, I just don’t think about it. I learned that through playing Test cricket. If you have a bad day, don’t buy a paper. If you have a good day, buy every paper in the stand,” MacGill said.

“My kids have had to put up with it. I can just turn the media off but… it is very difficult for kids to turn social media off,” he added.

The New South Wales-born also spoke about the challenges of finding regular employment, although he has managed to secure some work as a cricket coach.

“I’m doing my coaching but other than that I’m not really working much which is a pain because I have a pretty active mind and trying to shut that off is hard work. Lots of TV. But I don’t mind my own company, which is a good thing. I get lonely sometimes, but I think that’s happened to a lot of people since COVID-19… My network used to be a big part of who I was. I knew a lot of people and I have closed that right down since I have needed to manage my own environment a little bit more carefully,” the former cricketer concluded.