Recommend a Podcast

No, not at all. More that it is likely to contribute especially as his concussions started very young, so the being bad from the start as you say may also have been influenced by the CTE. It’s just the story of football concussion really, with Aaron as one of the biggest failures of Football Inc I think.

It wasn't concussion related and I'd agree with your synopsis with his drug use. It was also the ethos around 'protecting' up and coming football stars that's endemic in the sport. It starts when they are young; mistakes/indiscretions were brushed under the carpet, school grades 'massaged', crimes covered up. This carries forward to college football. Some one brought up through the system of never being held accountable for their negative actions but lauded and rewarded is going to come out of it all with a sense of entitlement/invulnerability/ remorselessness.

The off field rugby pod is an enjoyable listen for anyone interested in interviews with rugby players

I'm probably about 5 years behind the curve but just in case anyone else missed it as well :-)

"In the Dark" is an excellent investigative podcast - normally not my kind of thing at all but stumbled across it recently and have been bingeing it for the last couple of weeks.

"Vigilante" was similar-ish but nowhere near as good.

"Missed Fortune" is initially quite interesting and engaging but tails off a bit towards the end.

And another strong recommendation for 'The News Agents'

This six-part pod from The Guardian tells the story of serial cyber-stalker Matthew Hardy and his countless victims. As well as interviews with those affected it also discusses the issue of responsibility and whether social media giants need to do more to stop people like Hardy. Very good pod which tells both sides of the story in a balanced fashion.

Just finished listening to Hoaxed by Alexi Mostrous. Riveting stuff about how a fake child satanic abuse case in England became a world wide story and got taken up by conspiracy groups and then their opponents.

https://www.tortoisemedia.com/listen/hoaxed/

+1 on this one.

I knew next to nothing about this case and it's absolutely mind-boggling what happened....1980's Ireland was a strange place.

There's a new podcast out by the TodayFM courts reporter called Inside the Crime which is about a possible related murder... haven't started it yet

I read this reccomendation this morning and thought "this sounds good", some obscure case by the sounds of it"... then I looked up the podcast: Malcom McArthur.... Probably the most famous murder case in Irish history!

Maybe I'm getting old, but it was before my time too and I thought this case was still widely known. The Irish Times also did a podcast series about it recently too.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that show is good because it is a crazy, crazy story.

I've just finished Con Juan, it's about an international con artist, really enjoyed this one!

While I'm at it, here's a few that have got me though the night shift over the pandemic, a mixed bag but you might find something!

Con Juan

Sweet Bobby

The Witch Farm

Scotland Yard Confidential

Who Killed Emma

Mens Rea

Believed

The Making of a Detective

Serial

I’m not a monster

Inside the black box

Your own back yard

The witness 

Teacher’s pet

The troubles

The bloodied field

Gun plot

Shendee's Story

The Explorers podcast 

To live and die in LA

Bad bad thing

The Suspect

Missing crypto queen

Exit scam

The northern bank job

Girl taken

Gubu

Gangster

Lore

Up and vanished

Irish history podcast

Maddie

Inside the black box

Real narcos

Extremities

Blind spot 9/11

Scotland Yard Confidential

Caliphate

Unravel Snowball

Stardust

Last voyage of the pung su

Death in Ice valley

Nobody zone

Where is George Gibney

Dating game killer

Unfinished

Real Dictators

13 minutes to the moon

Monster The zodiac killer

Man in the window gsk

Amplify archaeology

The lady vanishes

West Cork

A hurlers life

We become hero's

Ear hustle

Mafia

Freshwater

S Town

Uncanny

I Spy

The Battersea Poltergeist

Relative Unknown

This podcast has fleas

In your nature

The Black tapes

In the dark

Extacy the battle of rave

Accused

If books could kill - Michael Hobbs and Peter Shamshiri

Tearing "airport" bestsellers apart. Liking it so far. It's only started.

I would imagine the book would be quite biased as it is written by the founder so everything will be portrayed in a favorable light. The podcast focuses on the stories of those on the ground - "The BBC has released a podcast series, The Good Ship BrewDog, which over the course of six episodes tackles everything from the bro culture at HQ to allegations of bullying and harassment."

I've become a huge fan of anything spy/espionage related and recently finished The Agent. Really fascinating podcast.

"The Agent is the remarkable true story of Jack Barsky, the longest-surviving known member of the KGB illegals program operated during the height of the Cold War. Barsky hid in plain sight in America for years, all the while leading dual lives on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean."

The Newsagents, prob originally recommended here but def worth a listen,

yer wan Emily Maitlis (formerly BBC) and 2 co hosts with a nightly news cast, lots of UK politics here but the other stories can be of interest too

good interviews too.

^^^^^^ this is series 2 of I Am Not A Monster. BBC Sounds have rereleased the full series 1 which covered the story of Sam Sally, an American who went to Syria and ISIS with her husband. It’s even better than Series 2. I guarantee you’ll binge listen.

Josh Baker made both series and his journalism in this first series is unreal. He puts himself in series danger to find Sam, he visits an abandoned ISIS prison in Syria in a spine chilling episode and he tracks down witnesses to her story all over the Middle East.