NFL players working to ease stigma around mental health help
Marcus Smith II is among several former and active NFL players who are hoping to break the stigma around mental health
The pressures of the NFL were getting to Marcus Smith II.
He hadn't lived up to the expectations of being Philadelphia's first-round pick, which led to anxiety, depression, panic attacks, being released by the Eagles — and a move across the country to Seattle. Smith didn’t talk about his mental health because he didn’t want anyone to think he wasn’t tough enough to play in the league.
On his way to Seahawks practice in August 2018, he stopped at the edge of a hill, ready to drive off of it. A call from his pregnant wife and his mother-in-law changed his mind. He went to practice and told coach Pete Carroll and defensive line coach Cliff Hurtt what happened.
“(Carroll) supported me in every way possible. He actually helped me get that therapist, let me know that everything was going to be fine,” said Smith, who was drafted in 2014. “It took me at least six, seven months to go through all the things in the past that I had never addressed. ... If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have done what I was doing and I probably wouldn’t be here today.”
