A shocking footage of Aston Villa and Jamaican winger Leon Bailey inhaling “laughing gas,” has emerged.
In the footage captioned, “Birmingham 07:19am,” the former Bayer Leverkusen player could be seen having a balloon in his mouth inhaling the deadly substance.
In the footage, made available by the Sun, Bailey donned a cap and was wearing a black T-Shirt. He was singing and apparently going loose, throwing caution to the wind.
After the footage which sparked a barrage of reactions from football fans, Leon Bailey was again pictured having the deflated balloon hanging down his lips.
He was sitting inside a car holding the huge balloon and inhaling the substance.
While some may ponder about the context of Leon Bailey’s controversial footage given the timing of the video, the Sun reports Leon Bailey had gone partying with a friend who celebrated his birthday last Saturday.
The partying and celebration reportedly lasted throughout the night and the Jamaica international dropped the footage after the night party.
Meanwhile, the birthday party came just hours after Aston Villa’s 2-0 Premier League victory over Everton. Apparently, Bailey must have been equally buoyed by the victory and lost his bearings.
The footage has been met with a barrage of negative reactions after it surfaced online with some fans decrying the loose moral bearing of the Aston Villa star, describing the act as “appalling.”
An Aston Villa fan, John Parry, expressed his shock with the footage, saying his kids have the shirt of Leon Bailey and hold him as an idol.
John Parry lashed out at Bailey for being so unprofessional with his conduct and letting the fans and the club down.
He called on Aston Villa to mete out appropriate punishment against the erring winger.
“My kid idolises Bailey and has his shirt”, Parry said.
“This behaviour is appalling.
“He is meant to be a professional and a role model, but has let himself and the club down badly.
“This kind of reckless behaviour cannot go unpunished.”
Another fan Stuart McDonagh seems to crack a joke of the footage. He wrote, “If it helps his right foot finish in front of goal instead of just standing on it then all Villa fans will be laughing.”
Another wrote, “Funny cos before the 00s footballers used to smoke and drink and do drugs. Now after the 00s footballers still smoke and drink and do drugs.”
Another exclaimed, “outrages!!!!”
What is “Laughing Gas” and why is the rage by the fans?
Laughing Gas is a deadly psychoactive substance that contains nitrogen oxide. In the UK, it is legal to use the substance, but illegal to supply it due to its harmful effect on the brain and behavior.
When it is inhaled, the substance cuts the supply of oxygen to the brain affecting the functioning of the brain. Users always feel dizzy. There are reports it can cause death in extreme cases.
Generally, there is a lingering negativity among UK people of Laughing Gas and its users.
Professionals of all walks of life are stereotypically not expected to use the substance. Hence Leon Bailey’s action came as a shock to many fans.
Leon Bailey joined Aston Villa from Bayer Leverkusen in 2021. He has racked up five goals for the club since joining from the Bundesliga side.
There are projections he may come under the sledgehammer of Aston Villa for using the substance but the club is yet to comment on the incident as of the time of filing this report.