Carlisle rushed to hospital after serious accident
FORMER Premier League footballer Clarke Carlisle was last night in hospital after being hit by a lorry during a serious road accident.
The ex-Queens Park Rangers, Burnley and Leeds centre-half was airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary following an incident yesterday morning on the A64 near Bishopthorpe, North Yorkshire. The cause of the accident was last night unknown.
“The thoughts and prayers of all at the Football Association (FA) are with Clarke Carlisle and his family at this sad time,” read an FA tweet.
The 35-year-old is also a former chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association and remains an ambassador for the equality campaign body Kick It Out.
“The thoughts and prayers of everyone here are with Clarke and his family. Stay strong our dear friend, keep on fighting,” read a tweet from the anti-discrimination group.
Carlisle made his professional debut for Blackpool aged 18 in 1997 and proceeded to make more than 500 appearances during a playing career which spanned 16 years and nine different clubs before he retired in 2013. His final match saw Northampton Town beaten 3-0 by Bradford City in the 2013 League Two play-off final at Wembley.
The 35-year-old, who also represented the England Under-21 team on three occasions, is considered to be one the most intelligent footballers of his generation, having acquired 10 Grade A GCSEs and appeared on Countdown and Question Time.
Following his retirement from professional football, Carlisle has forged a career in the media and as a TV pundit, most notably when working for ITV during their coverage of this summer’s World Cup in Brazil.