A former Liverpool FC player admitted he once injured a team-mate and left him on crutches on purpose so he could get in the team
- Former Liverpool FC defender Tom Brewitt admitted he once injured his team-mate on purpose so that he could get in the team.
- "I took the decision, it was me or him, so I went after him in training," Brewitt told the Football Journeys Podcast.
- So bad was Brewitt's tackle on his teammate, it left him on crutches for two weeks.
- "I'm not ashamed of it," he added. "In my head it was me or him and I was choosing me."
A former Liverpool FC player admitted he once injured his team-mate on purpose so that he could get in the team.
Tom Brewitt, who was playing for the Reds' youth-team during the 2015/16 season, says he purposely injured Daniel Cleary in training after realizing manager Jurgen Klopp was short of a centre-back for an FA Cup tie against Exeter City.
"Whatever it took to do it, I was going to do it," Brewitt, who now plays for Morecambe FC, told the Football Journeys Podcast. "I was just desperate to play for Liverpool and that's all I wanted to do.
"I took the decision, it was me or him, so I went after him in training. Before Christmas and the time between Christmas and New Year, I put myself next to him in possession games, I put myself next to him in games, and I just kicked him.
"I wasn't trying to hurt him badly but I was trying to hurt him enough so he was out the way and I would play. It was about a week before the Exeter game and I took a bit of a heavy touch in a seven-a-side and he's come in to tackle me.
"I waited a split second too long and absolutely topped him, went over the ball, it was a bad tackle — I knew it was a bad tackle, I did it on purpose and I'm not incredibly proud of it.
"I'm not ashamed of it, either, because in my head it was me or him and I was choosing me."
So bad was Brewitt's tackle on Cleary, it left the Irishman on crutches for two weeks.
Brewitt, however, did get his comeuppance, suffering a concussion just days before the game against Exeter, ruling him out of the tie.
In response to Brewitt's revelation, Cleary tweeted: "Karma always works its way back in football. Blowing out someone else's candle doesn't make yours shine any brighter comes to mind.
He added: "Lucky to walk away from that tackle with my leg in one piece."
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