The newest member of UConn’s football program, offensive lineman Dayne Shor, spent a semester in Alabama before announcing a transfer plan on social media last month with a post describing his struggles with mental health.
“I have dealt with the pain of depression and anxiety for what seems like a long time now,” Shor wrote on May 5 on Twitter. “Two years ago, I was fighting for my life against mental illness. It is safe to say that every day I suffered from living in darkness, with pain and sadness. The feeling of wanting to take one’s own life is a feeling like no other, and a feeling I wish no one else had to feel.”
Explaining his decision to transfer, Shor wrote that he was looking for “a fresh start in both academics and athletics.” He announced his engagement to UConn on Sunday, also on twitterfeaturing a video featuring UConn football highlights, video clips from Huskies coach Jim Mora, and scenes from the movie “Joker.”
Shor, from Alpharetta, Ga., is listed as 6-foot-5, 308 pounds on the Alabama website. He was a 3-star recruit from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, according to numerous recruiting sites, after first attending Denmark High in Georgia.
Throughout that journey, according to Shor’s tweets, he was battling mental illness.
“The voices in my head often took control of my life,” he wrote. “There are wounds that will never be seen on my body, but that are deeper and more painful than any physical wound that bleeds. The pain and struggle with mental health is horrendous. During the height of my struggles, I was heavily recruited by many universities across the country. At that time, no one knew what was going on deep inside of me. People struggling with mental pain find ways to hide in plain sight.”
Shor went on to write that football has saved his life, giving him “the motivation, determination and power to keep going”.
Shor is part of a wave of transfers joining the program as part of Jim Mora’s first recruiting class.
In his May tweet, Shor thanked Chris Herren, the basketball player from Fall River, Massachusetts, whose college and professional careers were interrupted by substance abuse and legal problems. Herren, who has been sober since 2008, is the founder and operator of The Herren Project and Herren Wellness, which focus on addiction recovery as well as a wide range of mental issues.
Shor wrote that he spent time at Herren’s facility in Massachusetts.
“Your mental health awareness program has given me coping tools and skills that I will carry and continue to develop for the rest of my life,” Shor wrote. “I also want to express my sincere thanks to the staff, doctors and coaches at the University of Alabama for providing me with the means and opportunity to improve through Project Herren. … From this day a new Dayne Shor is born, and I will finish what I started 13 years ago when I first stepped onto the football field. Everyone will see a new me and I will make an impact wherever I go.”
Shor announced the May 6 that would start “The Dayne Shor Foundation” or “Shor Legion”, which will be dedicated to spreading awareness of mental health, addiction and alcoholism. A portion of the money earned from this initiative, from camps to merchandise, will be distributed to charities, Shor wrote.
The UConn football team opens its first season with Mora on August 27 at Utah State.
