Stephen Warnock says he was petrified to tell Liverpool about seizures as a youngster because he feared being released. The former defender, now 44, said this was the first time he had really spoken about it, after opening up on 5 Live in response to an interview with Hull City midfielder Matt Crooks. He made 67 appearances for Liverpool before retiring in 2018.
The fear behind the silence
Warnock's account is strongest when he explains the fear itself. "I was petrified of telling Liverpool because I was worried of being released," he said, adding: "Because I was thinking 'if they think I've got a condition they will release me'."
He also described the anxiety of not knowing what caused the seizures. "I was worried about being on the pitch and it happens. There were no triggers for me, I never knew what triggered it. That was what petrified me," he said.
The picture he gives is of a teenager keeping quiet because he could not predict what was happening to him. He said the episodes went on for "three years or so", and that he felt embarrassed because nobody else had it and he did not understand it himself.
Warnock has since said he has not had a seizure since the age of 14. The important detail is not a footballing aftermath, but the fact that a player who later made 67 appearances for Liverpool was still carrying that fear in silence.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
