Aaron Lennon detained under Mental Health Act

We here at Cartilage Free Captain know what our job is to all of you. We want to bring you any relevant news regarding Tottenham Hotspur, whether it’s matches, transfer rumors, team news or the new stadium. We try to bring this to you in a way that gives you the information necessary and put our own entertaining spin on it.

This story is a little different, and it’s a subject that isn’t easy to write about, but by now we have all heard about former Spurs winger Aaron Lennon.

Yesterday, news came out of Manchester that the Everton winger was detained under the Mental Health Act in the United Kingdom.

Lennon is now "receiving care and treatment for a stress-related illness", his club has said.

The England international, who joined Everton from Tottenham in 2015, has not played for the first team since February.

Greater Manchester Police said: "Police were called at around 4.35pm to reports of a concern for the welfare of a man on Eccles Old Road.

"Officers attended and a 30-year-old man was detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act and was taken to hospital for assessment."

The referenced Section 136 of the Mental Health Act allowed the police to respond and take Lennon to the necessary facilities for treatment, and that’s great to hear. Section 136 is broken down as follows, via rethink.org:

Section 136 is part of the Mental Health Act. This is a law.

The police can use Section 136 when you are in public. They can hold you where you are. Or take you to a place of safety. Police can use this section if they think you have a mental illness and you need care or control.

A place of safety could be your home, your friend’s or relative’s home, a hospital or a police station. The police can move you from one place to another.

You should get a mental health assessment whilst on this section.

Medical examiners can keep you on this section for up to 24 hours. This can be extended for 12 hours.

After your mental health assessment you may be discharged. Or you may stay in hospital under a different section of the Mental Health Act.

Under Section 136 you have the right to be told why you have been detained, get legal advice, ask the police or hospital to tell someone where you are and get mental health treatment.

You can’t be taken from your home under Section 136. But you can be under S135.

First, let me say that the worst thing we can do is speculate as to what’s going on with Azza. The reporting by the BBC respects that and sticks to what we know: Lennon is getting care and treatment for an undisclosed illness. I can’t say the same for tabloids, which is the only reference I’ll give to them regarding this subject. I ask that you do the same.

The outpouring of support has been great for Lennon. Everton took to Twitter to acknowledge the support and appreciates everyone’s wishes:

Our own ambassador, Ledley King, tweeted out his support as well, which was echoed by Tottenham Hotspur on social media:

Personally, this is a subject that hits close to home for me. I’ve gone through my own issues that have required therapy and treatment as well as had close friends deal with similar problems, and I can tell you that it’s a subject that needs more attention.

Without getting too heavy-handed, there are those that need to get help that do not seek it for various reasons. Getting help is the best thing that anyone suffering from any mental illness can do, no matter how minor or how serious they or anyone else think it is.

However long it takes for Azza to get the help he needs, it sounds as though Everton are going to support him for it, and that’s 100% to the club’s credit. As to how you can help out in some way? It’s never a bad thing to donate to the cause.

If you’re in the United Kingdom, consider donating to MIND. The donation link is at the top of the page.

For those in the United States, there are several groups but I would recommend Mental Health America.

Give your support to Azza. Not just as a former Tottenham player, but as a human being who deserves to live a healthy life.