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The suicide of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland last week has put mental health into the NFL conversation alongside playoff chances and player performances.<\/p>\n
For Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Braden Smith, his mental-health challenges last year, when he felt he was \u201ca month away from putting a bullet through my brain,\u201d have led him to advocate for improvements intended to head off tragedies like Kneeland\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
The former Auburn All-American is working with the NFL Players Association to make it easier for players to get effective assistance and hopes the NFL will create a designation for mental-health issues that mirrors injured reserve for physical ailments.<\/p>\n
Smith said being able to talk about a problem or to talk to someone who seems to have an issue is \u201cthe biggest thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was experiencing a lot of anxiety and depression,\u201d Smith said during an appearance on NBC Sports\u2019 \u201cPro Football Talk\u201d this week, \u201cand it completely, like, took the life out of me. I mean, you could tell even my performance on the field, like it wasn\u2019t the same. I wasn\u2019t the same person. I wasn\u2019t having fun playing football. I wasn\u2019t having fun just being a father or a husband because I was so consumed by what was going on with me with my mental state that it was really hard. \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cI think first and foremost just speaking to anyone that\u2019s close to you, whether maybe it\u2019s a teammate, a parent, a loved one, I think that\u2019s the biggest thing, that\u2019s the biggest start, and that\u2019s kind of where it started for me, especially is just like getting out in the open because you know if we keep it in, if we keep it locked down, it\u2019s hard to have any healing in that sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we need to be able to just talk about it, and nowadays, like, there\u2019s, obviously, that stigma that people don\u2019t want to talk about these things because you know there might be that worry that people think that there\u2019s something wrong with me or this might jeopardize my standings with maybe in a job or such. So I think the biggest thing is just talking to someone to start off with and just knowing that each team has licensed clinicians, and, like, we\u2019re working on some certain things, too, now to expand those resources and having some more resources readily available for teams.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Smith missed the final five games of the 2024 season and ended up on the non-football injury\/illness list. Players on NFI do not have to be paid their full salaries, as players on IR are.<\/p>\n
\u201cThinking about treating, like, physical injuries and the process that guys go through whether they go on IR or how they go about just getting treatment for that,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI think the mental side of it is, you know, we\u2019re lacking on that end, and that\u2019s something that can be improved also. Kind of like thinking about setting up a protocol because every case is different. My case was a little bit more dire, like I said. I had to go into an inpatient mental-health facility for 48 days. Some guys are just dealing with depression and anxiety on maybe a lower level. So it\u2019s not a one-size-fits-all, but it\u2019s like getting each guy the care that he needs specific to his needs is really important.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019ve also mentioned before the IR for mental health because I was put on an NFI list, and fortunately enough I was part of an organization where their cause is mental health. For each team, it\u2019s a little bit different on how they handle things, but I was in a very fortunate situation, and the Colts, they continued to pay me while I was receiving treatment. But it\u2019s not necessary for a team to pay a player when he\u2019s on NFI, and that\u2019s kind of where I think it would be important that we can create an IR designation for mental health.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd, obviously, like going through the protocol would help all that out in terms of diagnosis and getting that player what he needs. But I think all these things are important because at the end of the day, the player feels like he\u2019s in a safe place that he\u2019s able to talk about what he\u2019s got going on, talk about these things and not worried about what the repercussions might be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith\u2019s problem began in March 2024. Eventually, he was diagnosed with the obsessive-compulsive disorder subtype religious scrupulosity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s the actual, real, true, living God,\u201d Smith said in April. \u201cAnd then there\u2019s my OCD god, and the OCD god is this condemning (deity). It\u2019s like every wrong move you make, it\u2019s like smacking the ruler against his hand: \u2018Another bad move like that and you\u2019re out of here.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The International OCD Foundation defines scrupulosity as an obsessive-compulsive disorder involving religious or moral obsessions in which the individual is \u201coverly concerned that something they thought or did might be a sin or other violation of religious or moral doctrine. They may worry about what their thoughts or behavior mean about who they are as a person. \u2026 Unlike typical religious practice, scrupulous behavior usually exceeds or disregards religious law and may focus excessively on one area of religious practice while other, more important areas may be completely ignored.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith had begun seeing a psychologist and been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. But even with therapy and medication, Smith\u2019s crisis deepened, causing him to enter a mental-health facility in December. A planned four-week stay ended up lasting 48 days.<\/p>\n
While Smith was diagnosed with religious scrupulosity at the facility, he didn\u2019t leave markedly better than when he arrived.<\/p>\n
That led Smith into reaching for a \u201clast-ditch\u201d solution \u2013 ibogaine. A plant-derived psychoactive compound that is illegal to use in the United States, ibogaine has shown promise in recent studies in the treatment of traumatic brain injuries for veterans. Smith went to Mexico in late January for a five-day treatment and returned better able to put his OCD-control strategies into practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt very eager to prove something to myself,\u201d Smith told The Associated Press last month. \u201cEvery day for me is really a victory because of everything that happened last year. Just being able to actually, truly enjoy life, there\u2019s kind of this power that\u2019s kind of harnessed when you\u2019re able to identify the problem. You know these things still creep in, like I remember Sunday morning some stuff crept, and I was like, \u2018I know what this is,\u2019 and I used the tools. I was able to set it aside. I was like, \u2018All right, you know these things still happen.\u2019 OCD is still part of my life, it\u2019s just how I manage it. \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m honestly grateful for last year because without it, I wouldn\u2019t have such a self-awareness of how I think, how I go about things. I learned a lot about myself through it, and I\u2019m a better husband because of it, a better father because of it, a better teammate. And I\u2019m continuing to grow as a person. My journey isn\u2019t over yet. I still have a lot of room to grow and learn, and I look forward to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
A guard at Auburn, Smith transitioned to right tackle in the Colts\u2019 offensive line as a second-round rookie in 2018. He\u2019s been in that spot, when healthy, ever since.<\/p>\n
This season, Smith has started every game and played 96 percent of the offensive snaps as Indianapolis has compiled an 8-2 record as perhaps the surprise team of the NFL\u2019s 2025 season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s really just no ego,\u201d Smith said, \u201cand I really just feel like everyone\u2019s bought in. And I don\u2019t think anyone really had much expectations for us coming into the season, so it\u2019s really just like, \u2018Hey, let\u2019s just go out there, just ball out and let\u2019s see what happens.\u2019 But, yeah, just the lack of ego and everyone\u2019s to work each and every day, and I think that\u2019s been putting us in a really good spot.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Colts defeated the Atlanta Falcons 31-25 in overtime on Sunday in Berlin, Germany. Indianapolis is in its bye week and plays next on Nov. 23, when the Colts visit the Kansas City Chiefs.<\/p>\n
Smith said he plans to enjoy the open date.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just kind of having a taste of what it\u2019s like to just be a regular human being again,\u201d Smith said. \u201cJust hanging out with my son, hanging out with my wife (former Auburn softball catcher Courtney Shea), and there\u2019s always that to-do list at home to get done before I go back to playing again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jaelan Phillips\u00a0is making quite the impression on his new\u00a0Eagles\u00a0teammates and coaches.<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old linebacker was all over the field in his Philadelphia debut Monday night, recording two quarterback hits, six pressures, a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery in a\u00a010-7 victory\u00a0over the\u00a0Packers.<\/p>\n
As the Eagles head home to face the\u00a0Lions\u00a0in Week 10, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio remains in awe of his team\u2019s newest weapon, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the\u00a0Dolphins.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe plays hard,\u201d\u00a0Fangio said. \u201cHe\u2019s strong at the point, a good pass rusher. When you shop at Nordstrom\u2019s, you get good stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phillips is no stranger to playing for Fangio. In 2023 with Miami, Phillips recorded 6.5 sacks in eight games before tearing his Achilles. Fangio joined the Eagles the following season and was instrumental in leading the team to a victory in\u00a0Super Bowl LIX.<\/p>\n
Needing help at pass rusher, the Eagles traded a 2026 third-round pick before the Nov. 4 deadline to reunite Phillips with his old coordinator.<\/p>\n
Just one game in, it looks like a wise investment. The Eagles held the Packers to 261 total yards and just one scoring drive. Green Bay\u2019s only points came with 5:49 left on a\u00a0Josh Jacobs\u00a06-yard run.<\/p>\n
Philadelphia has won three straight and sits comfortably atop the NFC East at 7-2.<\/p>\n
Phillips is in the final year of his contract, and because of his lengthy injury history and their difficult start, the Dolphins were apparently hesitant to commit to him long-term.<\/p>\n
The fifth-year veteran had 25 tackles, three sacks and one fumble recovery in nine games with Miami this season, the final year of his rookie deal.<\/p>\n
The Eagles rank 18th in total defense (327.9 yards allowed per game) but have the fifth-fewest sacks in the\u00a0NFL\u00a0with 19.<\/p>\n
In addition to trading for Phillips, the Eagles coaxed veteran pass rusher\u00a0Brandon Graham out of retirement. The 37-year-old Graham, who is third in franchise history in sacks (76.5) and first in games played (277), made his season debut against the Packers in a limited role. He did not record any stats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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