Jude Winchester left Ballymena United to join the Crusaders and focus on his mental health.
The midfielder moved to Sky Blues in 2018 and made 104 appearances, scoring 14 times.
“For the last year or so, while on the court things have been going great, off the court I have been struggling with my sanity,” said Winchester, 28.
“It was better for my career and my mental health that I worked closer to Belfast and allowed me to be more at home.”
Winchester’s biggest moment for David Jeffrey’s team came in the qualifying stages for the Europa League in 2019 when he scored at home to NSI Runavik, helping the club progress for the first time in European competition.
“This is a decision I made in consultation with the club and my family, and it was not taken lightly,” Winchester added.
“David [Jeffrey] He made me an offer to stay, it was a brilliant offer, that others would have bitten off his hand and in another circumstance I would not have thought twice, but for reasons outside the field of play I could not accept a deal.
“We had long talks over the last few weeks about what is best for Ballymena United and me, and the bottom line was that I am moving on now.
“I want to be very clear, David is one of the best people I have ever met, not only in football but in life. Being close to him and meeting him personally has been incredible.”
“He and Ballymena United as a club, the staff, the board and the fans have treated me very well. I daresay they have not treated me so well elsewhere.”
“I’m sorry that it ended the way it ended, but for me at the moment there are things more important than football, but this decision still allows me to continue playing, so I hope the fans understand.”
‘Agreement reached with Crusaders’
Jeffrey commented: “This is ultimately one of those times where we find ourselves in a situation where we need to think about what is best for the club and the player.
“Obviously, Jude had made it clear that despite a substantial offer on the table, he was not looking to stay past this season. There were other issues and circumstances that we had to be open and receptive to that are personal to Jude, and he has been very honest about himself.
“Through our conversations with Jude, we explored the best ways to support him, but he also recognized that we also have a responsibility to take care of the club.
“We finally reached an agreement with the Crusaders to allow him to move in earlier in the hope that being closer to home will be more helpful to him and his family.
“We thank Jude for his contribution during his time here, he is wonderfully talented as we have seen him in the last three and a half years and we wish him the best not only for his career but primarily for him as a person and for his family as well.”
Later on Thursday, Ballymena revealed that he had signed Ards midfielder Kym Nelson, while Dungannon Swifts announced the arrival of defender Garry Breen from Cliftonville.
