Former boxing champion Mike Tyson is urging Mel Gibson to seek professional help as he battles personal problems, insisting the actor needs "someone to talk to". Gibson has been embroiled in a public spat with his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva this year over allegations he knocked out her teeth in a domestic dispute. Tapes of their bitter arguments, which later emerged online, intensified the fall out.
Tyson admits he can empathize with the actor/director because of his own chequered past, which saw him sensationally accused of beating his ex-wife Robin Givens, while he later sank into drug abuse. And the sportsman is adamant Gibson needs therapy to help him through the dark times. He tells New York Post gossip column Page Six, "We all have that guy - a Mel Gibson - in us. We just don't want people to be exposed to it. Maybe he needs to go get help. We all need help, and need someone to talk to. I'm not against him, but I'm not for him."
Tyson, who appeared in hit 2009 comedy "The Hangover", is reportedly set to join the cast of the upcoming sequel which will now no longer feature a cameo appearance from Gibson after members of the cast and crew objected to his presence on set. But the boxer admits he wouldn't have complained about working with the "Lethal Weapon" star. He adds, "I'm not going to ever in my life point my finger at anyone. I don't live in a glass house. None of us do. I work with anybody, as long as they're respectful."
In related news, Robert Downey Jr. has also defended Mel Gibson over his troubled personal life - insisting he will always "love" the actor/director for hiring him when "no one else would". The "Iron Man" star, who has battled drug and alcohol addiction throughout his career, has known Gibson since the 1980s and they first appeared on screen together in 1990's "Air America".
And Downey Jr. admits he will continue to support his friend as he battles his own troubles, which hit headlines this year after Gibson's ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, accused him of beating her in a violent domestic dispute. Downey, Jr. tells Access Hollywood, "I've known the guy for 25 years and he hired me when no one else would. So I think that's enough said on my position. I love the guy."