Delvin Breaux Opens Up about Overcoming Mental Health Struggles
"It's OK (to talk about your mental health), you're not weak!" Former Saints DB Delvin Breaux
Former New Orleans Saints defensive back Delvin Breaux took to The Park Journal this summer to open up about his mental health story in a piece titled, “More Than a F-ing Neck.” This week, Breaux went a step further in sharing his struggles, joining me on the “It’s Personal” Podcast by Navigate Hope, a non-profit organization based in Georgia.
The New Orleans native spoke on his rough uprising, abusive father, his childhood's emotional and mental scars. Breaux goes into detail on the abuse and his suicidal thoughts at the young age of nine-years-old.
In the interview, Breaux admitted his childhood demons followed him into his adult life. He admitted that he played “some games under the influence” during his time in the NFL. Breaux sought help through AA during his 2015 season with the Saints. The Ed Block Courage award winner shared that he went to visit John Lucas in Houston, where he “learned it was okay to talk about your problems.”
The two-time CFL All-Star defensive back passionately spoke on the importance of High School coaches taking time to talk and check in on their players. “It’s bigger than Xs and Os” he said. Breaux hopes to join a coaching staff during the CFL's hiatus, because of COVID-19, to impact kids’ lives.
He then challenged his teammates, both past and present, to talk about their struggles and use their platform to help someone else.
“It’s okay to talk about it. Think about it you’re not just helping yourself, you’re helping so many people other than you, man. Millions, Billions of people, man. Why not make that impact? Why not be that hero? Why not be that Superhero for somebody else? Kids are going to look up to us, college kids, adults are going to look up to us. And that’s going to make more guys in the CFL/NFL come out more because they can rally behind guys like us.”
To conclude, Breaux had this message for anyone struggling with their mental health.
You can listen to the Delvin Breaux interview on Spotify or Youtube. For more information and resources on mental health and suicide prevention, you can visit Navigate Hope’s website at www.navhope.org.
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