While significant progress has been made, there is still much work to be done to fully eradicate the negative mental health stigma that continues to afflict college and professional athletes. As many as 30% of collegiate athletes feel overwhelmed and often find it difficult to complete tasks due to factors like the physical and mental demands of their sport, family economic issues, and/or academic-related stress.

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The lack of mental strength and understanding of my needs ultimately led to no longer playing the sport I loved. I always expressed to the people closest to me how painful it was not being able to do what you know you do so naturally well - and for me that was throwing a football.

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It was never my physical abilities - I was very gifted. It was the abrupt mental blocks that I battled, including thoughts that would prevent me from performing to the best of my abilities. 

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Before playing in college, there was never a doubt or second thought about my ability to spin it. Whether it was a 5-yard slant, a bubble to the running back out of the backfield (one of the hardest throws in the game), a 15-yard dig in the face of the wind, or a record-breaking 68-yard GO, I never thought twice about it. And the ball usually ended up where I needed it to be. My first ever "think twice" moment came during one of the Under Armor All-American game practices in Orlando. We were throwing 1-on-1's into the endzone and one throw just felt…awkward. Looking back, it’s something that I now wish I had addressed immediately, instead of letting this intrusive feeling build up and get past the point of no return.

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But this was a mental health issue I didn't know I was battling.

"This throw has to be perfect!" 

"I need to perform better than Kyler Murray, Blake Barnett, and the others."

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This type of thinking unfortunately lasted throughout my entire collegiate career. They snowballed to the point where I was having second thoughts about completing passes as simple as screens coming out of the backfield. Few people understood back then, and very few ever will, but someone who did his best was former Stanford University and Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Chad Hutchinson.

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Chad and I have a great relationship and he was able to refer me to a book written by Rick Ankiel called The Phenomenon: The Pressure, Yips, & The Pitch that Changed My Life. Rick battled similar anxiety and notes within one moment that changed his life forever. 

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He was in a playoff game with millions of people watching when a pitch got away from him and his natural abilities quickly followed. A similar moment I experienced was against Georgia in 2017. In warmups, I went to throw a hitch (5-yard stop), and the ball got away from me. Throwing a football was never the same.

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The negative stigma around mental health prevented me and many other collegiate athletes from seeking early forms of help and assistance. This is something I regret, but I never knew that resources were available on campus or that athletes in my position could seek out this type of help. 

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I hope to change this for future athletes by helping to build a culture where discussing our mental health as athletes is cool. People like Kevin Love, Naomi Osaka, Dak Prescott, Simone Biles, and Brandon Marshall have all been a massive part of the shift in this conversation, and it needs to trickle down to little league sports and become an integral part of youth sports.

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After my playing career was over, I helped launch a company called MOGL to help student-athletes maximize their name, image, and likeness. But NIL isn't all about shoe deals and car sponsorships. 

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This Mental Health Awareness Month, we're partnering with Super Bowl champion and former Chicago Bear, Ryan Mundy and his company Alkeme Health to eliminate disparities within the healthcare system. I hope to encourage others to help us. Join us in the conversation of eliminating the negative stigma associated with athletes and their mental health journeys.