Former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall is on the show talking about the importance of mental health in sports and life, and how current stars like Dak Prescott, Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles are leading the way in this crucial area.
video transcript
BRANDON MARSHALL: You know, and there are a lot of things that come with Antonio Brown. He is really complex. My story the first five years was extremely complex, right? So what happens when you have some issues off the field, and then you go on the field, and those moments like what happened at MetLife, or hitting the helmet. You know, then everything mixes.
And no one understands what is happening. Hell, we just saw Tom Brady break his tablet. Is something wrong with Tom Brady? But Tom Brady doesn’t have those challenges and problems off the field. So it’s easy for us to say, you know what? This is just an ultra-competitor, he’s super compassionate and he’s actually a leader. He is irritating his team.
JARED SPRING: We here at “The Rush” are very excited about Super Bowl LVI, and we’ll be on Radio Row all week leading up to the game. But first, we bring you a conversation with 13-year NFL veteran, six-time Pro Bowler and host of the “I Am Athlete” podcast, Brandon Marshall. As the public debate about sports and mental health grows, we wanted to hear the perspective of B-Marsh, an expert on the subject who was ahead of his time.
In 2011, he spent a few months in the hospital’s mental health program and was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. What did it mean to her when she heard that the doctors put a name to what she was experiencing?
BRANDON MARSHALL: Oh life, new life. And you know, man, it was one of the best days of my life. Because I sat there, and there was a lot of things that people knew and understood what was going on. And there were some things that no one had any idea what they were experiencing, what was going on. Like, isolation, depression, you know?
So being able to go to McLean Hospital, go through a clinical evaluation, a neurological evaluation, and someone say, oh, we can treat this. Oh man, that was amazing, because I’m a soccer player now. My innate ability and training have just kicked in. Give me a game plan, give me the playbook, I’m going to work my ass off learning this stuff, whether it’s dialectical behavioral therapy, mentalizing therapy, self-assessment, cognitive behavioral therapy, and I’m going to get through this.
So the case of each one is different, it is presented in different ways. But that was my approach. And after three months, man, the light at the end of the tunnel was clear as day.
JARED SPRING: Just following up, since we’ve been like 11 years, how do you feel now with what you’ve been diagnosed with?
BRANDON MARSHALL: Oh, I mean, I feel great. You know, borderline personality disorder, the best way to describe it is emotional disturbance. Many people who live with it do not have the skills or tools to be able to self-regulate. That is the perfect example.
Someone jumps into a Zoom call, curses at us all, our feelings are valid, we’re angry, upset, angry. Someone like me who didn’t have the skills or tools naturally, like, I can be here at 10 for an hour, where everyone else is like, man, what was up with that guy? And maybe back to baseline in five minutes or two minutes. Someone like me can stay with me for two days, maybe two weeks, right? So I had to learn those skills and tools to be able to self-regulate.
And now it’s all about performance for me, right? Like, that’s how I look at my spectrum. It’s about performance. In fact, tonight at 8:45 I’m going to see my therapist. Because now I am a podcaster, youtuber, influencer, I am an entrepreneur. We’re opening three facilities, we’re launching three shows. So there’s a lot of stress and a lot that comes with it. So now it’s about how I stay ahead, right?
And I think that’s a lesson for a lot of people, don’t wait until something comes along or something happens. Go ahead.
JARED SPRING: In fact, he publicly discussed his mental health situation more than 10 years ago, and it was a different world back then. And now, I feel like the world is more open to hearing athletes talk about how their mental health comes first, from Dak Prescott to Naomi Osaka to Simone Biles. How do you think the evolution of people has helped to be more aware of this, and the difference between what you went through and what current athletes may be going through?
BRANDON MARSHALL: Oh man, it’s phenomenal. I mean, everything we did in the community through Project 375, our nonprofit, was for this moment, to raise awareness, to start the conversation, to go from a taboo topic to an everyday conversation in our homes and our systems. schoolchildren. and the government, walking the halls of Congress, speaking throughout the world. So to see the Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles and the other names you mentioned now standing up, saying, this is what I’m dealing with, this is what I’m living with, I didn’t think we’d see this, I really didn’t.
But is there a way that athletes can live with these things and these challenges, or deal with this moment, and still be able to go out and perform and play, right? And I think there is. And I think because the conversation is so new and because people don’t know who to turn to and what to do, now we’re reacting, right? “I feel this. And I know mental health is important right now, but I have to stop, I can’t play.”
And my goal going forward, now that the conversation is starting, has started, is to get our athletes to respond. And responding is like what I just said. Tonight at 8:45, I’m going to sit down with Miss Gayle, who worked with me when she played for the Chicago Bears.
And I’m going to talk about, hey, someone came into my office today and asked for a raise. I had someone else in me… they really don’t deserve it. Someone else came into my office today and gave me two weeks’ notice, and I really love this guy, he’s great at culture, he’s great at what we’re doing. So if our athletes can now put that into part of their routine, then I think we’ll see… well, I know we’ll see a healthier athlete.
JARED SPRING: oh man. Shout out, Miss Gayle, for keeping yourself level so you can keep other people level, man.
BRANDON MARSHALL: Hey, it’s hard work for her, I’m telling you. It’s something you do.
