Leigh Griffiths says mental health is reason for football break not ‘any other issue’

Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths says he is taking a break from football due to mental health issues, not “gambling, drugs or any other issue”.

In December, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers said Griffiths would be unavailable for “a number of months” due to ongoing personal issues.  “He’s reached a point where it’s a struggle for him. We are going to give him all the professional help he needs to get him back in a good place again.”

Griffiths released a statement on Twitter on Sunday morning calling out the “laughable lies” he has had to face in the press and on social media, demanding anyone with “real evidence” come forward, saying “let’s see it”.

It read: “Despite what has been written about me, rumoured or said to you from afar, I just want to settle one thing and to make it clear once and for all.

“I am off work due to my mental health state. Not gambling, drugs, or any other issue that has been written about me since December.

“I’m putting this out there now because family and friends are being asked questions and they’ve been told to say nothing. But I’ll not be silenced, especially by newspapers and idiots who can write tweets and make up stories and it grows arms and legs due to people’s sad and pathetic lives.”