Former Footballer Recounts Near-Fatal Drug Overdose in New York

Former Millwall captain Matt Lawrence has detailed a harrowing drug overdose that left him clinically dead twice in March 2021. The incident occurred in New York, nine years after the end of his professional football career.

Lawrence, who also played for Crystal Palace, described the experience: "I went limp, slid to the floor... and stopped breathing." He recounted how he was found lifeless on the street after taking drugs laced with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid known for its extreme potency. CCTV footage captured the moment Lawrence lay unconscious on the floor of a Manhattan bar.

He stated that he had normalized the experience of dying, having been revived twice within a four-day period. "I normalized dying twice in the space of four days," Lawrence said.

Lawrence, who had a 16-year professional playing career, insisted he did not use drugs during that time. He acknowledged struggling with self-confidence issues throughout his career. "Every second of my professional football career was amazing, but I just didn't believe in it or believe in me," he commented.

He further described a desire to be controlled, stating, "I was happy to be controlled by something. By anything. Cocaine and alcohol are pretty good at that."

Lawrence is currently in the process of rebuilding his life in New York.