College football player cites mental health in announcing his retirement

An Ohio State University football player announced on Thursday that he is “medically retiring” from the sport after opening up about his struggles with mental health.

Buckeyes offensive lineman Harry Miller said in a statement issued through Twitter that he had told head coach Ryan Day that he wanted to kill himself and said he was immediately provided support. 

The former five-star recruit said he tried to return to the sport but that he was still grappling with mental health challenges. 

“I saw how easy it was for people to dismiss others by talking about how they were just a dumb, college kid who didn’t know anything. But luckily, I am a student in the College of Engineering, and I have a 4.0 and whatever accolades you might require, so maybe if somebody’s hurt can be taken seriously for once, it can be mine,” Miller said.

“And maybe I can vouch for all the other people who hurt but are not taken seriously because, for some reason, pain must have pre-requisites.”

He said that grappling with suicidal thoughts is not reserved for “the far and away,” saying that it is an issue that affects those close to home, too.

“A person like me, who supposedly has the entire world in front of them, can be fully prepared to give up the world entire. This is not an issue reserved for the far and away. Is it in our homes. It is in our conversations. It is in the people we love,” Miller wrote.  

He thanked Day for supporting him through his struggles, saying, “If not for him and his staff, my words would not be a reflection. They would be evidence in a post-mortem.”

Miller said that he would be working within Ohio State’s football program in a different capacity to help others.