Former Liverpool Player Faces Lawsuit After Admitting to Deliberate Training Ground Tackle to Boost His Chances
A former Liverpool youth player became the subject of a lawsuit after admitting to purposely injuring a teammate during training to increase his own chances of playing for the first team.
The incident occurred in 2016, early in Jürgen Klopp’s tenure, during preparations for an FA Cup third-round tie against Exeter City. With several senior players sidelined by injury, younger squad members were given the opportunity to step up.
Among them was academy defender Tom Brewitt, who was desperate to make his first-team debut. However, in an interview on a podcast in 2020, Brewitt revealed he had taken extreme measures to gain an edge—intentionally injuring fellow youth player Dan Cleary.
Brewitt admitted he made a reckless tackle on Cleary during a training session, believing that only one of them would be selected. He described waiting for the right moment in a seven-a-side game and going in with a dangerous challenge, admitting that it was deliberate. While Brewitt said he wasn’t proud of the act, he also expressed no regret, stating he felt it was necessary to prioritize his own future.
“I waited a split second too long and absolutely topped him… it was a bad tackle – I knew it, and I did it on purpose,” Brewitt confessed, adding that he and Cleary had previously had a good relationship, which was effectively ruined after the incident.
Cleary ended up on crutches for two weeks, and although Brewitt claimed he hadn’t meant to seriously injure him, he acknowledged he wanted Cleary “out of the way” to secure his place in the team.
Despite his drastic actions, Brewitt didn’t make the squad for the Exeter game due to a concussion. He never made a senior appearance for Liverpool and left for Middlesbrough shortly after. His career has since included stints at several clubs, including Morecambe, AFC Fylde, and Orange County in the U.S.
In 2024, it came to light that Cleary had filed a lawsuit against both Brewitt and Liverpool, seeking £200,000 in damages for lost career opportunities and emotional distress caused by the injury, which he believed nearly broke his leg. Both Brewitt and Liverpool denied responsibility, and the outcome of the legal case remains unclear.
Cleary, who also never played for Liverpool’s first team, went on to represent clubs like Dundalk, St Johnstone, and currently Shamrock Rovers. Responding to the revelations, he criticized Brewitt’s actions, stating, “There’s being determined and then there’s this,” and added that karma has a way of balancing things in football.
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