Shawn Andrews – GOOD LUCK (EAGLES 3/18/2010)

Oh I know there are plenty of haters who say he quit on his team or he is not committed to football. But that is just not fair. Yes it is true his injuries didn’t help the offensive line over the last couple years, but you can’t blame a guy for that. And then there was the question of his mental health.

Let me tell you all something, as a bi-polar sufferer, mental health is no joke. It isn’t mind over matter. And it is quite debilitating at times. Now I cannot speak for Shawn personally but I can tell you this.

All of us who are tormented by a mental disorder work our butt of to do things most people do not think about. Everything we do is a struggle. Because aside from the everyday challenges that all of us face there is a dark and unrelenting side of mental diseases. And make no mistake about it, it is a disease like diabetes and cancer are also diseases.

As far as being bi-polar let me give you a brief glimpse of what it is like:

When the bi – polar sufferer is in a manic cycle overwhelming urges and powerful thoughts and feelings steamroll you into submission. Emotional waves of misguided inspiration is mixed with absence of fear and restraint, coupled with sleep deprivation and false bravado, reckless behavior, self destructive judgement, and a raging stream of thought cluttering the mind and driving you in a dominant fashion. Like steering a car on a downhill mountain road that has just lost its breaks you try and reign in your out of control mind.

When the bi – polar sufferer is in the depression cycle it is devastating and just as dangerous. Uncontrollable self-loathing is escorted with nagging guilt, unprecedented and unexplainable anguish, constant regret, unreasonable worry, unsubstantiated fear, deep rooted bitterness, volatile anger, complete worthlessness, inadequacy, frustrating confusion, and enormous paranoia holds you captive like a spider’s prey in his web. All of this swells into alarmingly loud inner cries to give up.

Now keep in mind this is just a brief overview. Words cannot express the daily weight that you carry. Imagine carrying a piano on your back. Oh I hear the nay sayers. “Hey man I got problems too!”

I am sure you do, and I do not want to sound as if I am trivializing others struggles. Think of it this way. Imagine 2 people have to drive from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. Both have the same car and have the same reason to be in LA. Both have the same concerns as anyone would have crossing the country in a car. But now imagine one of them has to stop every 3 miles to get gas. Do you think that might add some difficulty to the trip?

That is what being “crazy” is all about. Yes we are just like you and you are just like us in many ways. But don’t kid yourself or flatter yourself, there is a whole world of challenge that you do not face or even think about. Don’t hate us for it.

The worst part of the situation with the Eagles and Andrews is football is a game but the NFL is a business. The world doesn’t stop because you have extra difficulty. So the Eagles have a valid concern. With his physical injuries and his unclear mental disorder status they had to make a call about the future. It is not a fair or unfair decision.

The worst part though is a football player this guy is a beast. He is a road grader, an excavator for running backs and a steel wall for quarterbacks. And no one can ever take that away from him. And hopefully this is not the end of his NFL career.

I do wish I had the chance to talk to Shawn in this regard. Most of us with mental challenges lie to ourselves and put on a false front. We want people to believe “hey I’m okay now” or “all it’s not that bad”. And with the right meds and with a frank understanding of our problems we can function and have a productive life. But Shawn has to be diligent at learning who he really is and what his limitations are. Ironically everyone should do that. However I am talking about in a mental health way. You can’t fool around and think you are cured, because there is no cure. At least not now.

Hopefully Shawn will take advice from people he can trust and people who know. I pray he will continue work hard, take the appropriate meds, and take on what he can do to completion. He is an extremely gifted football player but if pro ball is too much, which I am not suggesting it is, but if it is too much for him to dedicate the time and effort that is needed than there is no shame is finding something else in life to do for work and fulfillment.

He has clearly not failed at pro football! He is a Pro Bowl lineman and always will be. Not all NFL careers last 10 – 15 years. Most in fact do not!

And he has other talents. He is a creative man. I have heard some of his music. It’s very good. Yes I have heard sports media heads make fun of it. But he has some good tunes, he really does. And he is a kind person also. People who know him have commented on his engaging spirit.

At the end of the day I wish Shawn the very best of luck. Hopefully in an NFL uniform for a few more years to come, but maybe in a studio laying down tracks as a producer/songwriter. Frankly even if he is a landscaper, I wish him the best of luck regardless.