According to The Athletic, former Manchester City and England winger Raheem Sterling recently pleaded guilty in court to dangerous driving and possession of a Class C drug, nitrous oxide. The judge warned him he could face imprisonment when he returns to Basingstoke Magistrates' Court on November 25. 

From a Premier League champion and World Cup international to now facing jail time, Sterling's downward spiral is shocking, but the core question remains unanswered: what exactly led him to this point?

As Sterling prepared to leave the courthouse, an aide by his side relayed the message that a small group of photographers were waiting outside.

After one of the most difficult experiences of his life, it was time to face the cameras. "If I were you, I'd walk out backwards," someone suggested.

Sterling had just been told by a district judge that he could be sent to prison when he returns to Basingstoke Magistrates' Court on November 25, having pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and possession of a Class C drug, nitrous oxide (known as laughing gas).

In other words, for a player who not long ago was winning Premier League titles for Manchester City, representing England at the World Cup, and receiving an MBE from the late Queen for his services to football and racial equality, the worst might still be yet to come.

Of course, after the details of his reckless driving on the motorway were revealed in court, not many people would be willing to defend someone in this situation—or, for that matter, listen to any stories of misfortune.

Sitting in courtroom one during his trial, you could sense how chaotic Sterling's mindset was before he crashed his car after taking drugs during rush hour on May 28 this year—because chaotic is the only truly apt word.

We saw dashcam footage, which made it easier to understand why one of the drivers who called the police said she was genuinely worried someone would die.

We heard that over 67 minutes, from 7:45 AM to 8:52 AM, a series of 999 calls drew the attention of three police forces to Sterling's £270,000 Lamborghini, which was weaving through traffic, often far exceeding the speed limit, while he inhaled gas from balloons behind the wheel.

We saw the damage to his vehicle after he eventually drove off the road on the A327 in Hampshire, and most shockingly, we heard that he had been driving in this dangerous and out-of-control manner long before he even got on the motorway. Indeed, the first 999 call was made at 1:10 AM when he sped into a McDonald's drive-thru in Hayes, North London, and began inhaling gas from balloons while waiting for food. Sterling later admitted he had not slept all night.

However, we never received any detailed answers to the questions that inevitably arise in cases of this nature.

Sterling, what happened? What brought you to this point? Where did it all go wrong? And, perhaps most pertinently, what lessons can football learn from this?

Before that, perhaps it would be fairer to reserve judgment. Let's not fall into the trap of thinking that just because Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool paid Sterling exorbitant salaries, he is immune to human frailty.

It's not easy to be a footballer who doesn't play, and Sterling has had to contend with challenges in ways he never imagined over the past few years—the loss of status, the erosion of identity, a sudden sense of inadequacy. At 31, his career seems over, or certainly dangerously close to it. He has been without a club since leaving Feyenoord in the Eredivisie at the end of last season. This has been a painful and very public fall from grace.

This is not to excuse his reckless behavior behind the wheel, which could have led to more serious, potentially fatal incidents on the M25 and M3 motorways. It was only luck and the actions of others that prevented potential casualties.

But it is also important to understand whether Sterling's troubles stemmed from his final season at Chelsea, when he was ostracized and not even allowed to train or interact with his former teammates.

Sterling went seven months at Chelsea without playing a single match, eventually having to hire a private coach to maintain his fitness. Again, this doesn't fully excuse his poor decisions. However, it might give us a better understanding of his mental state, the reasons for his lack of professional focus, and why he struggled to make any positive impact after joining Feyenoord (which was meant to get his career back on track).

For now, the only real certainty is that if a talented, high-profile footballer endangers lives in this manner and tells police he has a "problem" with nitrous oxide, things have clearly gone seriously wrong.

His defense team will argue that a suspended sentence is sufficient, meaning he would not go to prison as long as he does not re-offend within a specified period. Perhaps the judge will be lenient and agree that his early guilty plea, coupled with no prior convictions, should spare him from incarceration.

But when you consider that this individual was not long ago held up as a role model for countless people, and not just because he entered the top 15 in the Ballon d'Or voting twice (2019 and 2021), this case remains deeply troubling. Regardless of the verdict in November, Sterling has dealt a significant blow to his reputation.

This is perhaps the saddest aspect, especially given the longstanding discussions about media coverage of Sterling and the headlines a young, successful Black footballer can attract.

Many of us defended him at the time. We argued that he deserved to be championed, and that we were the ones who needed to change, not him.

Today, however, speaking up for him is much more difficult. The headlines will be harsh, and he deserves them. When sentencing comes, regardless of the judge's ruling, it will be the same again. And the danger here is that amidst all the commentary, the central point might get lost: there is a young man who admits he has a "problem."

Nearly four months after his arrest, the court has not clarified whether this problem still exists, or whether "problem" is another word for "addiction." But you would hope that the Professional Footballers' Association and other relevant organizations are working to establish this. Because it is highly likely that Sterling needs not only punishment but also help.

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