Eddie George is flourishing as a college football analyst for Fox Sports.
That wasn’t always the case for George, the former Tennesse Titans running back who revealed to the Tennessean that he battled depression and demons after retiring from the NFL.
“It never got to those depths where I wanted to end my life, but I can certainty understand how some guys get to that point,’’ George told The Tennessean on Tuesday. “There wasn’t that instant success on the football field, where you worked hard all week and you have a victory and a great game on Sunday. There were some things I had to go through that weren’t necessarily helping me and my family out.
“I can certainly see where guys who don’t have the proper guidance or right mindset can take that turn for the worst.”
George says he never thought about taking his life or harming himself, but his struggle to adjust almost ended his marriage and all his friendships.
“The way my career ended had an impact on me the first few years because I had no idea what to do next. It wasn’t really until about three to four years ago when I really started to turn around and become more responsible about where I was and not being in this funk, in this depression and so forth,’’ George said on Tuesday.
“I was fighting demons and trying to get a peace of mind that did damage to me and my family, my wife. … Hanging out and chasing (women) and all the wrong things. All the things that served me as a player didn’t serve me as a man who’s 35, 36, 37 years old trying to redefine himself. Something had to change in me.”