A Cry for Help
While I ended up joining Georgia Tech, I lost my scholarship and got kicked out as a freshman.
The stress of home life and school made me fall deeper into my addictions. It was the way I coped throughout high school, but due to the constant drug testing in college, I wasn’t able to hide my demons. I ran out of chances, and I was eventually sent packing.
Losing my scholarship only pushed me into a more severe depression. It wasn’t until I joined the football team at Garden City Community College, an NJCAA school in Kansas, that things really started to take a turn. I ran into so many other great athletes that had the talent to play Division I football, but they were never given opportunities because of a criminal background.
Opening up to those guys and speaking with them about life’s trials and tribulations inspired me. I vowed not to let my second chance go to waste if I ever got one. I finally came to the realization that I had to sacrifice what I was doing wrong to get something better out of life.
I couldn’t continue on the same path.
Not long after that mental shift, the call from the University of Nebraska came.
And I was given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join the Huskers.
Coach Scott Frost encouraged me right off the bat to speak with Dr. Brett Haskell, our sports psychologist, because he knew about my previous issues.
Honestly, I was a bit hesitant at first. There I was being asked to go visit and open myself up to a complete stranger. That isn’t an easy thing to do.
When I first met her, I told her the truth about me wanting to get better, but I wasn’t showing her with my actions. As bad as I wanted to improve, it took some severe dedication on my end to actually follow through. After meeting consistently for three or four days a week, things finally started to click for me.
She helped me control my anger and deal with all the pressure which ultimately helped me open up more and become a better teammate. I realized I had to hold myself accountable and be a better role model for the younger guys on the team. It's one thing to want to get better, but actually doing so, man, that’s a whole different beast.
But the sessions with Dr. Haskell were life-changing, seriously.
The fact that the Huskers provided me with resources that allowed me to heal mentally isn't the type of story that gets told enough. Without Dr. Haskell and the support from my teammates and coaches, who knows where my life would have taken me.
Speaking of, my coaches and teammates were also always checking in on me. They’d make sure I was staying positive and actually dealing with my issues instead of just thinking about them. Even the staff would check in to see how my family back home was doing—just the little things, you know?
It matters. A lot.
Today, I'm still seeing Dr. Haskell once or twice a week and she continues to assist me in so many ways. I'm a huge advocate for mental health now as I experience first-hand how much it impacts my life and my performance on the field and in the classroom.
Overall, I'm just beyond grateful to be at a place that values mental health as much as I do and continues to provide us athletes with resources to cope with our struggles.