Australian Olympic swim star Grant Hackett was arrested and taken into custody on the Gold Coast on Wednesday after he flew into an uncontrollable rage, forcing his father to call the police.
Several reports state witnesses saw the three-time Olympic gold medallist “going off” as he repeatedly stabbed a chopping board with a knife.
It has also been reported that Grant had been drinking heavily.
Grant has since been released without charge from the the Southport police watch house, where his father Nev confirmed he had been detained over mental health issues.
Asked how he was feeling as he left the station, he said: “Not the best.”
He went on to declare that he will likely seek further rehab treatment.
Speaking with 9News outside the family’s Mermaid Waters property, Grant’s brother Craig said, “It’s becoming to the point now where he is dangerous.”
“At times, he is dangerous. He’s a danger to himself, he’s a danger to the community, and poor Mum and Dad have tried to look after him so much. I’m concerned for their welfare.”
Craig, visibly emotional, went on to implore the Australian public to remember his brother not for what he has become but for the swimming champion who represented Australia at three Olympic Games.
“The Grant Hackett that Australia fell in love with, this is not Grant Hackett, this is a completely different person. The Grant Hackett that Australia fell in love with, they can still have that affection towards him.” he said.
“I don’t know this person, my mum and dad don’t know this person. He is there in body but he is not there in mind, soul, or spirit.”
“To see someone who was so dominant and had the world at his feet to now, we don’t know what is going to happen – it doesn’t look encouraging.”
“If there’s anyone out there that can help him, we’re all for it. But we’ve reached the end of the road at this point. Doesn’t mean our love has reached the end of the road, we just don’t know what to do,” Craig told reporters.
The eight officers who responded to the disturbance at the Hackett Family home arrived to find Grant asleep.
Grant’s father Nev, a former policeman, added, “We’ve got a long battle, we’ll do anything to help him.”
“Anything at all but it’s hard for people with this sort of problem.”
Grant’s struggles have long been documented. In 2011, the swimmer trashed his Melbourne home after a fight with his now ex-wife, Candice Alley. Concern was also raised when he was spotted wandering through Melbourne’s Crown Casino half-naked, looking for his son.
In 2014, the former Olympian admitted abusing prescription drugs and checked into a US rehab facility to seek help.
Most recently, Grant was questioned by police in Melbourne following an on-flight altercation where he allegedly groped a male passenger’s nipple.
