Former England international Adam Johnson has long been released from prison, but has not returned to professional football since being sacked by Sunderland back in 2016
With six years having now passed since his release from prison, disgraced footballer Adam Johnson is still without a club. The 37-year-old spent the majority of his 12-year professional career with boyhood club Sunderland before being sacked in 2016.
His dismissal by the Black Cats came after he pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child, aged 15, and child grooming. It landed him a six-year prison sentence back in 2016. Johnson was also found guilty of one further offence of sexual activity with a child and found not guilty on a second count of the same crime.
He ended up spending a total of three years behind bars, at which point he was released on licence after serving half of his original sentence, walking out of prison on March 22, 2019.
After Johnson was handed a six-year prison sentence in 2016, the PFA’s then-chief Gordon Taylor was brutally honest about the ex-Manchester City and Middlesbrough winger’s chances of ever resuming his professional football career.
«I feel that prospect is, to say the least, very remote, if at all,» he told BBC Radio 5 live at the time (via FourFourTwo).
«It’s not unexpected,» Taylor added. «The judge had said it was a very serious issue and he would be away for quite some time. Six years is not unexpected. Our thoughts are very much with the victim in this matter.»
As previously reported by The Mirror, Johnson’s sister Faye told a friend: «He was going to write an open letter to all the clubs explaining why he can benefit them if they give him another chance. Genuinely thought he was joking when he told me but he was deadly serious.”
It was reported by The Mail in 2019 that League One and League Two clubs within a commuting distance of Johnson’s home in County Durham had told the publication they would not consider signing the player. He then sold his property in the village of Castle Eden, which he had bought in 2010, for £1.75million in 2022.
Johnson expressed “remorse” for his actions in his first public statement following his release in 2019. His father and agent, Dave, however, refused to comment when asked whether his son could make a potential return to professional football.
The former Premier League and FA Cup winner said: «I am very sorry for the effect my conduct had on those, directly and indirectly, involved. It should never have happened and I deeply regret what I did.
«I now want to concentrate on the future and want to demonstrate through my actions that I am committed to repaying them for their support.»
The Sun reported in 2021 that Johnson, who earned 12 caps for England between 2010 and 2012, was considering a move abroad. He reconciled with his ex-partner, Stacey Flounders, and became a father for the second time in 2021.
A source for the report claimed: “The couple have been rebuilding their life together two years after Johnson was released early – and are now considering whether their future lies abroad.”
There were some suggestions at the time that a move overseas would help him resume his career, but such a deal was made unfeasible due to the nature of his conviction.
He is still required to tell the police when he plans to travel overseas, while various countries have laws in place requiring individuals to share details of prior convictions if they want to work there and undergoing criminal records checks.
As Mirror Football reported in 2019, moves to China, the Middle East, US or Australia were not on the cards for Johnson.
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