Former rugby star Kent Bray has admitted to snorting up to 30 grams of cocaine a week as his addiction spiralled out of control while he was one of the head honchos at giant finance firm Citibank.
The 62-year-old starred for NSW against the British and Irish Lions in 1989, and spent six years with Britain’s famous Harlequins team at a time when the side also boasted superstars like former England skipper Will Carling.
Bray earned a degree from Oxford University before working his way to being a director on Citibank’s foreign exchange desk in London.
He first started taking cocaine when he was introduced to it by a Harlequins supporter who offered it to him in the early 2000s.
By the time he was ready to leave the company, his habit was totally out of control and he was fearing it would kill him.
‘A drug dealer would turn up at 9am every morning,’ Bray told City AM.
Kent Bray is pictured during his time with England’s famous Harlequins rugby team, where he was introduced to cocaine
When he became a top trader with finance giant Citibank, Bray (pictured recently) was doing up to 30 grams of coke a week
Bray (pictured playing for Oxford) said his coke use was comparable to someone drinking 40 bottles of wine a week
‘I didn’t ring him. It was just on schedule.
‘I’m running the biggest forward foreign exchange book on the desk – a lot of responsibility, a lot of expectation, a lot of pressure.
‘I’d go downstairs, jump on the lift, jump in the car, drive around the block, give them 200 quid [£200, about $400], get three grams of coke, and I’d just use all day.
‘There were some days I’d get some for the way home.
‘In the end, I was doing 20 to 30 grams of cocaine a week.
‘Some days I was doing five and six grams of coke.
‘I was going home to Essex, two gorgeous children, as the worst possible version of myself, and I was crushed.’
Bray had previously explained that he spent $160,000 a year on the drug in early 2000s’ money.
The drug had such a hold on the former footy star that his mates thought he had AIDS or terminal cancer
When Bray first went to rehab, he could only stay clean for eight days afterwards
‘For those who don’t know anything about cocaine, 20 to 30 grams a week is like doing 40 bottles of wine,’ he said.
‘I wasn’t doing it because I was enjoying it. I was doing it because I was addicted.’
Bray only took cocaine by himself, which made it easier for him to hide his habit from friends and coworkers.
The effect coke had on his appearance through weight loss was so drastic that in 2015, the year before he went to rehab, his mates thought he had a terminal illness.
‘The Rugby World Cup was on here in England. Some guys came across from Australia,’ Bray said.
‘I looked skeletal. They said, “Have you got AIDS? Have you got cancer?”
‘They were asking seriously because I looked so poor.
‘On the flight back to Australia, one of them said, “Listen, I think we’d better get used to the idea that we might not be seeing KB ever again on this trajectory.'”
Former Wallabies star Troy Coker begged Bray to get professional help in something of a turning point, but he was unable to give up.
He could only stay clean for eight days after rehab, doing ‘up to or beyond 80 grams of cocaine by myself in a hotel room’ as he hit rock bottom.
‘I thought, I literally cannot give cocaine use any more. I’ve given it everything.
‘I’ve lost five stone. I’m mentally fragile. I’m spiritually bankrupt. My ex doesn’t like me. I’m not present for my kids. I’m risking the lot – and the lot meant death.’
Bray had his first clean day on June 18, 2016 and has been off the drug ever since.
