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21st October 2018
04:15pm BST
Philly McMahon is one of the most skilled footballers that this country has ever produced but tonight, we'll see a side to him that has never been aired before.
The Hardest Hit on RTÉ One on Sunday, 21 October will look at drug culture in Ireland.
The Dublin footballer has campaigned for decriminalisation since his brother John, who was a heroin addict, passed away in 2012.
My documentary "the hardest hit" is on this Sunday the 21st at 9.30pm. Make sure to tune in, it will hopefully give viewers a better understanding of the human being behind the disease of addiction and how we can do more as a society. pic.twitter.com/KveOxlDWz3
— Philly Mc Mahon (@PhillyMcMahon) October 19, 2018
McMahon admits in the documentary that he would give away all his All-Ireland medals just to have his brother back.
"Today our opponent is drugs, we've lost the first half, we all need to have a half-time talk," McMahon said in an interview in 2016.
"If there's something I've learned from playing sport at the highest level, it is that one chink in the armour and it all falls apart.
"The disconnect from communities, government, voluntary sectors and family networks is constantly growing and will continue to grow if the government persist in cutting funding from the organisations involved in working to combat the drugs problem.
"If there's people taking drugs on the streets then people are going to feel threatened. I'd be 100% for it (injection centres) because there are people that are dying on the streets every day because there's no monitoring process. The fact is, if they get a needle exchange clinic or monitoring process in a needle exchange clinic, it means then it's a safer option and gives the addict a better chance."
This is must-watch television tonight.
