Sports

Former Premier League Player Becomes Policeman After Retirement

Former Premier League forward Tommy Wright has decided to tow quite a different way from most players would after their retirement from the game as the onetime Leicester City star has swapped the changing rooms for the cells as a Policeman.

Wright came through the Foxes academy and went on to become a first team player eventually.

The Englishman had a nomadic career throughout the lower reaches of English football playing 350 times and scoring 66 goals in his various clubs.

Wright who hung up his boots in 2016 with National League side Corby Town became a a fan favourite in his time with Leicester – a memorable winning goal against Nottingham Forest in 2003 going down in club folklore.

Speaking to The Mirror, the former forward said: “Some people have obviously recognised that I played for Leicester. I’ve had it in custody as well, which was so funny.

“The custody sergeant had a Leicester City face mask on and straight away made a bee-line to me as I was reading out the charges. And then the suspect’s appropriate adult had a Nottingham Forest face covering on, so he said, ‘I’ll tell him about your goal against us’.

“We had a bit of banter when it was appropriate, which I think can help tense situations like that. You see the initial look on their face when they notice and have a quick joke before getting back to the matter.”

It appears that Wright was well-suited to being a police officer from the off with clues having been spotted throughout his playing career. He started on Mansfield Town’s education programme before leaving to join the police after his wife spotted a recruitment advert.

“I’ve always been good at dealing with hostile situations due to playing in front of thousands of fans in heated atmospheres,” Wright said.

“And when fights used to break out in the tunnels when I was playing, I would always be the peacemaker even back then.”

Leicestershire Police Chief Constable Simon Cole agreed with that sentiment having hailed the former Foxes’ star. He said:

“Tommy’s a really good example of a local guy who wants to put something back.

Izuchukwu Okosi

Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc. In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio. He worked there for 13 years until October 2017. Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch. He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations. Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line. Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.