For the first time since he posted a video to social media talking about his bout with depression and suicidal thoughts, Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown spoke to the media about the subject.
In Brown’s video, he talks about how he was feeling depressed in 2020, and so much so that he thought about taking his own life.
He also encouraged people who are feeling the same way to seek help for their struggles. Brown reiterated that sentiment on Thursday.
“I posted the video because I wanted to encourage others to seek help whenever they are down,” Brown said, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “I didn’t take into consideration really what depression really was. I always just brushed it off. I grew up just brushing off my feelings, and it got the best of me. I just wanted to put out a positive message that I’m still here, I’m growing, I’m still learning, I’m blessed, and I have a lot to be grateful for, and someone was there for me.
“So, reach out to your loved ones and ask them how they are doing and listen to them, because it is important.”
Brown’s revelation on social media was surprising, as he always seemed upbeat in the public eye.
However, anyone who has dealt with depression or knows someone who has understands that what we see on the outside isn’t always indicative of what’s going on inside.
“I know for me, walking around with a smile, that’s easy to put on – everybody can do it,” Brown said. “But when we go home, some of us have real-life problems. That’s why I said: Just talk to someone, reach out.”
Two people Brown mentioned specifically as being there to lend him a helping hand were New York Jets wide receiver and former Ole Miss teammate, Elijah Moore, and head coach Mike Vrabel.
“You don’t want to get emotionally attached or tied with someone, because there’s a business side of it,” Brown explained, according to Gentry Estes of The Tennessean. “I appreciate (Vrabel) so much. People like that, no matter how this business may go, forever I’ll be a friend of his and he’ll be a friend of mine.
“I appreciate him so much, just opening his door and just listening and trying to help me as much as (he) can. It doesn’t go unnoticed with me. He’s definitely family in my book.”
Brown says he’s “in a better place mentally” a year after his struggle, and his issues are “behind me now,” per David Boclair of Sports Illustrated. He also pointed to his daughter as a source of motivation.
“(She’s) the reason I am still going today,” he said. “I don’t even have the words for it. She gives me strength, and she is who I play for. Without my little girl, I don’t know where I’d be.”
Good on Brown for sharing his story. It will only serve to further help shine a light on the very real issue of mental health.