Ex-Chiefs lineman urges players to care for bodies and minds after another tragic death
The death of former Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber III at the age of 38 sent a shock wave through the NFL on Wednesday.
Well, another shock wave.
Four former NFL players have passed away before reaching the age of 40 in a roughly six-month span.
In December, former Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, 33, was found dead at his Georgia home. In April, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins, 24, was killed when he was hit by a dump truck on a Florida interstate. Arizona Cardinals cornerback Jeff Gladney, 25, was killed in a car crash Monday in Dallas.
Saddened by those untimely deaths, former Chiefs offensive lineman Jeff Allen,32, felt the need to speak out.
Allen. who played in Kansas City in 2012-15 and 2018-19, shared a lengthy message on Twitter, saying he stepped way from the NFL in part because of his mental well-being.
“Been thinking a lot about our former NFL brothers dying so young and I have to speak on it hopefully this helps someone,” Allen wrote.
“For the most part football is a poor man’s sport. There’s a few positions that are outliers like QB, Kicker, & Punter where majority of the athlete’s backgrounds is a privileged one.
“It’s a demanding game that requires elite grit to make it to the NFL. That grit usually comes from a challenging upbringing. Growing up with less gives you that hunger to make it out.
“That hunger fuels us to push ourselves beyond the imaginable for the love of the game. We often ignore the traumas of our early lives that helped build that grit and that’s where it gets dangerous because in general we rarely address it.
“We get use to ignoring trauma essentially becoming numb to it. Then comes the physical/mental trauma of the game of football that we ignore because at this point we’re use to it. It’s engrained in us, it starts the moment we step foot on a field. You’re taught to be ‘tough’
“When you think about giving up you reference your earlier traumas. You say things like ‘this isn’t worse than…’ or ‘this is better than being broke’. Not realizing the cumulative damage we’re doing to ourselves in the moment. Then you add in ‘Football culture’ in the nature of it
“You have some coaches abuse their power and verbally assault their players (mentally) often calling some of the toughest men on earth soft or worse. There is a constant pressure of pushing yourself through injury often from yourself due to the ‘culture’
“We gut through so much because football culture celebrates it. We glorify the ‘Warriors’ while in the arena but we forget about them when their time in the arena is over.
“I walked away from the game for many reasons but the main reason was for my physical and mental health. I knew I was on a slippery slope. I got the help and peace that I needed when I walked away. I thank God for my strong support system (my circle).
“We all need a support system, fellas if you’re going through something let’s talk about it. I’m here, I don’t even have to previously know you. You can DM me for my contact info, we all experience the same things let’s not be afraid to address it and talk about it. Heal yourself”
Here is the Twitter thread from Allen, and hopefully it will help someone.
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 10:03 AM.
