Stuart MacGill breaks silence on life after cocaine case: Jobless, worried for my kids

India Today

16-07-2025

Former Australian spinner Stuart MacGill has spoken about the toll his recent legal troubles have taken on his life, admitting he has struggled to find work and is deeply concerned about how his legal ordeal has affected his children. The 54-year-old, once known for his clever and sharp leg spin, says his life has changed drastically since the case came to light.advertisementIn May, MacGill was found guilty of supplying an indictable quantity of cocaine, though he was cleared of involvement in a large commercial drug deal.Since then, he has remained isolated and unable to return to continued work. He described how the situation has affected his daily routine and mental health: "I don't open the curtains too much," he 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."
The veteran leg spinner, who has scalped 208 Test wickets for his nation, reflected on how he's trying to stay strong by leaning on coping methods from his playing days. "If anything particularly bothers me, I just don't think about it, I learned that through playing Test cricket," he said.The Australian star cricketer admitted the hardest part has been seeing the impact on his family, especially his children. "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.""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."While he has managed to stay involved with cricket through coaching, MacGill admits he's found it tough being mostly unemployed. "I'm doing my coaching but other than that I'm not really working much, which is a pain. I have a pretty active mind and trying to shut that off is hard work," he said.The former New South Wales player added that he often feels lonely and has scaled back his social circle in recent years. "My network used to be a big part of who I was," he said. "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.""People talk about the half-full half-empty situation - well, I've always said I'm neither of them, I'm completely empty," said MacGill about his mental struggles. "And the reason I say that is because if today is the worst day of your life, tomorrow is going to be slightly fuller."Despite everything, he remains quietly determined. MacGill is doing his best to move forward, day by day. While life may not look the same as it once did, he's holding onto small wins, staying close to the game that gave him respect and recognition, and trying to rebuild on his own terms. For now, he's focused on protecting his peace, supporting his kids, and hoping brighter days lie ahead.- Ends