The English media need to back off of Jack Grealish

A number of stories have emerged today regarding Jack Grealish’s actions following Saturday’s 0-0 loss to Ipswich Town.

All-in-all, Jack and his pals stayed up late, probably ingested legal substances and maybe raised a little hell. That’s all you need to know. No pictures or real evidence has emerged to suggest anything truly shocking unfolded and from what I can gather it just seems like a kid with money is being, well just that. Of course, a balloon was mentioned, meaning Jack had clearly inhaled some kind of malicious substance (he didn’t).

The word ‘Hippy Crack’ gets thrown around a lot, but it means absolutely nothing. Coco-pops could be ‘I’ve got no money crack’. The word ‘crack’ is used because it sounds downright menacing, and because it’s true name, Nitrous Oxide, isn’t scary at all.

The real issue is this - the comments on Social Media that echo along the lines of ‘turn ur life around Jack’.

In all honesty, I’ve seen people empty their bladder because they cannot stop drinking Special Brew. I’ve seen a lot of self-harm scars and emotional trauma. I’ve seen a guy get so drunk, he broke his neck because he wanted to sunbath on his roof. Those are truly ‘turn your life around’ incidents. In fact, Aston Villa have fielded a player who has played drunk and also played with wristbands to disguise the fact that he consistently tried to kill himself.

The pressure on Jack Grealish is there for all to see. He’s an England midfielder, he’s an Aston Villa play-maker. The entire hopes and dreams of an entire fanbase are pinned solely upon him, not Ross McCormack nor Rudy Gestede - they are pinned on Jack Grealish.

And that? It might be more damaging to him than inhaling any known substance in this world.