What really happened to Gary Speed and what was the cause of his death?

What really happened to Gary Speed and what was the cause of his death?

Gary Speed is a legend of the sport. He represented teams such as Leeds United, Everton, and Newcastle United, and was a very popular figure in the English first division/Premier League. He hung up his playing boots at Sheffield United in 2010 and instantly entered management.

A player who was so successful in his career and was seemingly so fulfilled, it was an obvious shock to the world when his wife found him hanging in the garage in his home. So, what really happened to Gary Speed and what was the cause of his death? Was he killed? Was it a suicide? We uncover the truth behind his death and what really happened to him that lead to his death.

What really happened to Gary Speed and what was the cause of his death?- Ruled as a suicide

Speed appeared on BBC as a guest pundit on November 26 and later joined former teammate Alan Shearer to watch Newcastle United play vs Manchester United that day. Later that day, he drove to his home in Huntington, Cheshire. At 7 A.M next morning, it was his wife who discovered his body.

What really happened to Gary Speed and what was the cause of his death? (Image: IAN KINGTON/GETTY IMAGES via The Times)
What really happened to Gary Speed and what was the cause of his death? (Image: IAN KINGTON/GETTY IMAGES via The Times)

The police initially ruled out his death as a suicide and it was initially not being treated suspiciously. But his mother later claimed Speed was a largely pessimistic person, with claims emerging that he talked about a possibility of a suicide with his wife, Louise Speed, but ruled out a possibility because of the importance of her in his life, and their two children.

Why did Gary Speed kill himself and Who is Barry Bennell?

Barry Bennell was a scout that coached and trained several young players in the 1980s and 90s. He was employed by Crewe Alexandra at one point and had close ties with Manchester City and Stoke City too. In 1998, he pleaded guilty to 23 specimen charges for sex offences against young boys, and was later jailed. A convicted paedophile in 2018, he also coached Gary Speed during the player’s years.

An anonymous victim later revealed to Al Jazeera that he witnessed Speed being abused by Bennell. An inquest into Speed’s death later on found no links to Bennell at all, but it is terrible how the mental aspects and consequences of such abuse playing part in Speed’s death were overlooked. May he rest in peace.

Barry Bennell branded 'sheer evil' as he is sentenced to 30 years | Crime |  The Guardian
Why did Gary Speed kill himself and Who is Barry Bennell? (Image: The Guardian)

Gary Speed’s wife revealed that she was struggling to get off the sofa for two years after Speed’s death but more than a decade after the incident, has found love and married Businessman Quinton Bird earlier this month.

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