Suicide watch?

Did Mathieu Bastareaud try to commit suicide??

I haven't seen any confirmed news reports, and most of the English-language wire reports are not mentioning the words "attempted suicide."

Nevertheless, there is a distressing rumour at a French-language rugby blog at Le Monde. I don't know the accuracy of the post, and it seems unwise to speculate. Nevertheless, the worrisome rumours are coming out of France, and hard to dismiss.

Babelfish translation:

The spirit of the previous article dictated by the succession of true-false information about Mathieu Bastareaud and consequences of his third half-time after the Wellington test requires me to clarify that it was mailed to 12 pm today. At 17 hours, the announcement of the attempted suicide of the young man and casts a cold hospital on the case so far to say the least, bizarre. [...]

Original text:

L’esprit du précédent article dicté par la succession de vraies-fausses informations concernant Mathieu Bastareaud et les conséquences de sa troisième mi-temps après le test de Wellington m’oblige a préciser qu’il a été posté vers 12 heures ce jour. A 17 heures, l’annonce de la tentative de suicide du jeune homme et son hospitalisation jette un froid sur cette affaire jusque-là pour le moins rocambolesque. Il n’est plus question de mensonges, de défendre ou d’accabler un homme qui en arrive cette extrémité ni même d’ironiser sur ceux qui l’entourent en bien ou en mal. [...]

Source.

The saga has gone from criminal travesty, to laughable farce, to pitiable sympathy for the player in a matter of a week. It's not over, we still don't know the whole truth, and we don't know who to believe.

More French-language reports about an attempted suicide.

L'Equipe & Actualité et News.

Let's hope the guy pulls himself together and has a full recovery.

Full updated Bastareaud coverage, click here.