Last week, another former football player, George Atkinson III, took his own life. It was less than one year after his twin brother, Josh Atkinson, committed suicide.
Both brothers played football for Notre Dame and George had spent the last 5 years since leaving ND bouncing from one NFL practice squad to another, perhaps chasing ghosts of his father and namesake, George Atkinson II, an NFL pro-bowler.
These deaths hit close to home for me, as 4 former players at the Ohio State University have died of apparent suicide in the last 5 years, including Mike Kudla, my friend and teammate on the 2002 National Championship team.
At one point not long after I left OSU, I was ready to die. Continue reading…
