We have talked a lot about mental health in threads about gun violence and other things. But I wanted to use this forum to post this story. Renfro would have been a sophomore next season. He missed spring ball for undisclosed personal reasons and then it was announced that he would not be returning. Petersen protected his privacy (kudos - he's one of the good ones... and **** Art Briles for trying to throw him under the bus on the vetting of the rapist transfer).
Renfro chose to release the following statement, which received a lot of twitter support from teammates and - hopefully - will help to shed more light on mental health while also reducing the societal stigmas.
- Tweet from Isaiah Renfro account @WaveGodZay -
"Before anything I want to thank the doctors and my close friends for getting me out of a dark place before it was too late. This year has been one of the toughest times I've ever had to endure in my life," the tweet read. "While going through this year I have struggled with and have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Everyday it's very hard for me to do just a simple thing like get myself out bed in the morning. This entire year I have pushed through and gave it my all, till I had none left. I hate failure so I felt like I'd be cheating myself by quitting. But I started to see myself changing...I wasn't the same, I lost love for the game I've been playing ever since I could walk, and it seemed more like a job to me than fun. Waking up in the morning got harder and harder, till it got to the point where I didn't want to wake up at all. I missed spring practice because I was checked in the hospital. I was in a special program for people like me, that taught me how to cope with my problems and what to do when I hit the lowest of lows. I didn't know how bad I got until it was almost too late. But coming out of the hospital, I have a better outlook on life, I'm more and more happy each day I wake up, because I'm able to wake up. I feel that for me to continue my process of getting healthy again I need to step away from the game of football. I will no longer be playing football and will no longer be attending UW. I want to thank Coach Pete, Coach Bush and all the rest of the coaches and staff, for the opportunity and for the continued support. I also want to thank my teammates for allowing me to be a part of the brotherhood that is the football team. And for all the dawg fans out there for making me feel like I was worth something every time I put on that jersey and stepped on the field. This isn't the end for me, just the end of a certain chapter. I will conquer this, and not let this situation conquer me. I'm on a journey to find my happiness again."
There's a more complete article on Rivals: https://washington.n.rivals.com/new...ens-up-about-anxiety-depress-retiring-from-uw
Renfro chose to release the following statement, which received a lot of twitter support from teammates and - hopefully - will help to shed more light on mental health while also reducing the societal stigmas.
- Tweet from Isaiah Renfro account @WaveGodZay -
"Before anything I want to thank the doctors and my close friends for getting me out of a dark place before it was too late. This year has been one of the toughest times I've ever had to endure in my life," the tweet read. "While going through this year I have struggled with and have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Everyday it's very hard for me to do just a simple thing like get myself out bed in the morning. This entire year I have pushed through and gave it my all, till I had none left. I hate failure so I felt like I'd be cheating myself by quitting. But I started to see myself changing...I wasn't the same, I lost love for the game I've been playing ever since I could walk, and it seemed more like a job to me than fun. Waking up in the morning got harder and harder, till it got to the point where I didn't want to wake up at all. I missed spring practice because I was checked in the hospital. I was in a special program for people like me, that taught me how to cope with my problems and what to do when I hit the lowest of lows. I didn't know how bad I got until it was almost too late. But coming out of the hospital, I have a better outlook on life, I'm more and more happy each day I wake up, because I'm able to wake up. I feel that for me to continue my process of getting healthy again I need to step away from the game of football. I will no longer be playing football and will no longer be attending UW. I want to thank Coach Pete, Coach Bush and all the rest of the coaches and staff, for the opportunity and for the continued support. I also want to thank my teammates for allowing me to be a part of the brotherhood that is the football team. And for all the dawg fans out there for making me feel like I was worth something every time I put on that jersey and stepped on the field. This isn't the end for me, just the end of a certain chapter. I will conquer this, and not let this situation conquer me. I'm on a journey to find my happiness again."
There's a more complete article on Rivals: https://washington.n.rivals.com/new...ens-up-about-anxiety-depress-retiring-from-uw
