NewsColony

NewsColony Dean Laidley is not alone The AFL community has rallied around troubled former coach and player Dean Laidley but if he needs further reassurance that he is not alone in his struggles he doesn’t have to look far. The plight of a ‘woman trapped in a man’s body’ is one he shares with several high-profile members of the sporting community and the way they have won the battle to find ultimate peace and acceptance should offer a measure of hope as the 53-year-old father-of-three faces his darkest hours. When news that the former North Melbourne coach and premiership-winning player had asked to be addressed as ‘Danielle’ after being arrested wearing women’s clothes and a long blonde wig in Melbourne on the weekend broke, it came as no surprise to many within the AFL world. Laidley’s cross dressing and suspected drug use – the second issue possibly exacerbated by the first – has been an open secret within the game and media for years. Scroll down for video  This ph...