“Football was eating up my personal life”: Darius Leonard opens up about his mental health struggles
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Darius Leonard
Darius Shaquille Leonard is a name to reckon with in the world of the NFL. The talented outside linebacker has been a major part of the Indianapolis Colts’ unit for the last few years.
Darius played for the South Carolina State Bulldogs during his college days and delivered impressive performances on innumerable occasions. As expected, he soon got a chance to show his prowess on the biggest stage when he was roped in by the Colts during the 2018 NFL Draft.
“Mental health is real, I’ve faced it”: Darius Leonard
In his maiden season, Leonard showed everyone what he’s made of. He ended up leading the league in tackles and was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year. Leonard is nicknamed “Maniac” as he is incredibly energetic and positive on the field. However, even the best and most optimistic of people can be brought down by circumstances and the best way to get back on top is to talk about it and encourage people to be more expressive.
Talking about his battle with mental health, Darius told the Indianapolis Star, “In this profession, sometimes you feel like you don’t have a say so in your personal life just because it’s all football, all football. When you feel like you have to hold a shade up on your personal life because of your football life, it eats you up.“
He claimed that things really went downhill when he lost his brother. “Mental health is something real. I’ve faced it. I have battled it day in day out. In 2012 when my brother got killed, that’s when mental health for me really went downhill. But, I fought it, not just me by myself but with my family and everybody around me.“
Darius went on to share that if people really engage in healthy conversations, it can really help them to come out of the dark. “I ask everyone how they are doing. Sometimes, it’s ok to ask me how I am doing. Don’t ask me just to ask me. Ask me to truly have a conversation with me and to understand that I am a human, too.”
Darius also stated that there was a time when he was struggling to motivate himself to keep playing at the highest level and actually stopped loving the game as he used to in the past. It is important to speak out when one goes through a difficult phase mentally and it is great to see people like Darius sharing their stories on this subject as it motivates others as well to come out and speak.
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Shubham Bhargava
(1813 Articles Published)