Melbourne premiership defender Steven May has revealed he experienced a “mental breakdown” on the eve of the AFL season, which ultimately contributed to his sudden retirement from the sport.
May announced his retirement in March after a tumultuous period during which the Demons asked him to find a new club and he faced charges related to an alleged fight at the Sorrento Hotel at the end of 2024.
Those charges, which were also levelled against Richmond veteran Dion Prestia, were dropped last week. May admitted the decision was a massive “weight off his shoulders”.
May, a dual All-Australian, was contracted for the 2026 season and had been eager to fight for his place in the team under new coach Steven King. He had trained strongly over the summer before admitting he found himself “a bit lost” and ultimately decided to put the club first.
“The worst part about it was I had just done a pre-season, and I hate pre-seasons,” May said on SEN. “Not a lot of people like them but I really hate them.
“It was the end of January so I’d finally got through it and ready for a new year, I was injured all last season, had a bad year on the field. I was really ready to show people that I still have it ... did the pre-season, ran a PB in January, up and about, let’s go.
“Then I had a bit of a mental breakdown and found myself a bit lost and not sure what to do. It came to a point where I had to put the club before myself.
“I was able to retire before the deadline so then they could get another player in and Patty Cross is playing good footy and Melbourne are flying. All in all, it looks like it’s worked well for both parties.”
May acknowledged that his presence had become a distraction to the club. “I knew that was the distraction to the footy club, even though they didn’t really say it, I could feel it,” he said.
“So it just comes to the point where you sort of got to make a decision that’s best for my family but also for the footy club and, you know, my family’s happy and the club’s flying, so I’m pretty stoked with it.”
May said it “really sucks” not running out on the MCG every week, but he still feels connected to the club.
“I’ll just watch every game still. I still text the boys in the backline, I feel like I’m still a part of it. They’re probably getting sick of me,” he said.
“It’d be crazy for me not to be barracking for them because they are my mates. The guys have spent a lot of the last sort of 7-8 years with and I know the adversity they face. So for them to be playing well, I’m like a happy fan on the couch.”
May also expressed relief at having the charges dropped and felt he was judged harshly because of his previous indiscretions.
“Your name gets dragged through the media. I know I don’t have the greatest name already so that didn’t help,” he said.
“Especially when you were so innocent in something. You can’t really do much or say much because it’s a criminal charge.
“I feel for Dion. He’s still playing and has got different hurdles he has to get through. It was a huge weight off both of our shoulders.”
“If you’ve made a few mistakes in the past you grow a bit of a record, I guess. If you were to do something and you were innocent then no one is really going to believe you. They’ll look at the history.
“I’ve had a few indiscretions off-field, you could say. That definitely didn’t help. When you’re so innocent in something no one really believes you.
“The media were coming after me for the last year and a bit, and then on Friday I didn’t hear anything when the charges got dropped.
“I know that’s the nature of the beast, that doesn’t sell papers - ‘charges withdrawn’. I get it, it’s what you signed up for.”
May, who famously played in Melbourne’s 2021 grand final win with a torn hamstring, is currently playing local football this year with East Ringwood.
He played 128 games with Melbourne and 123 for Gold Coast, where he also served as co-captain for two seasons.
If you need help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For further information about depression contact beyondblue on 1300 22 4636 or talk to your GP, local health professional or someone you trust.
