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He said: "I'm still traumatized and I still deal with things that I dealt with as a kid... If you're still dealing with trauma, [therapy] is definitely needed early on, because I had to do that to get back healthy."
A few years ago, former NFL quarterback Terry Bradshaw broke down on camera, overcome with emotion about the topic of mental health, which he felt was under-discussed in the world of sports.
In 2015, The Rock was featured on an episode of 'Oprah's Masterclass' describing his battle with depression and the way in which he overcame it.
She said: "After recent struggles on and off the ice, I realize I need to seek some professional help and will be taking some time off while preparing for my Grand Prix assignments."
She said: "My results, or my worth in the sport, is based off of what other people think of me." She also spoke to host Anthony Mason about how she takes care of her mental health since retiring from the sport.
In 2017, skating champion and Olympic bronze medalist Gracie Gold announced that she was taking some time off from skating to focus on her mental health.
In April 2020, Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys revealed that he was suffering from depression after his brother took his own life. Fellow quarterback Aaron Rodgers came out in support.
In 2018, basketball player Kevin Love founded the Kevin Love Fund, a foundation that aims to raise awareness for children struggling with their mental health.
Bradshaw then decided that he would be more open about his own experiences with depression. To quote him: "I thought maybe I could help people with awareness, help men get the strength and courage…"
In a 2011 interview with The Telegraph, tennis champion Serena Williams revealed that she had been battling with depression. She said: "I cried all the time. I was miserable to be around."
Legendary swimmer Michael Phelps is a great advocate for mental health and doesn't shy away from sharing stories about his own battles with depression and anxiety.
In 2018, he told Today: "Being an athlete, you're supposed to be strong and be able to push through anything. My struggles carried on through my career and I hid them well."
Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez has spoken publicly in the past about her mental health struggles. She more recently spoke to POPSUGAR about methods she has been using to cope.
In March 2021, former NFLer Michael Oher, whose story inspired the book and 2009 movie 'The Blind Side,' spoke to People about his mental health and about the importance of seeking professional help to deal with trauma.
In the same feature she spoke about her decision to go on antidepressants: "There's no shame in that, and I was putting it off for a while because even though I don't stigmatize it for other people, I was doing it for myself."
In April 2021, former Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman appeared on 'CBS This Morning' and talked about how starting gymnastics at a young age was detrimental to her mental health.
In December 2020, NFL player Hayden Hurst described what it's like for him as a football player struggling with his mental health. He said: "There is this persona that you're an NFL player and you're almost like a robot. You just show up on Sundays and you're this big physical person."
He continued: "But I think it's more masculine to truly reach out for help and say 'Hey, I have a problem and I need assistance here.'"
Sources: (People) (Health Central) (Heads Up Guys)
See also: Everyday things you didn't realize are harming your mental health
In August 2020, super sprinter Noah Lyles went public with his decision to start taking antidepressants. He wrote about the decision on Twitter.
Before the 2021 French Open, tennis star Naomi Osaka announced that she would not do any post-match interviews. She explained that it was a bid to preserve her mental health.
In 2020, Sengalese basketball player Tacko Fall spoke to People about how he was trying to keep up his mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the article announcing the foundation of the fund, he explained that he had been prompted to work on his own mental health after suffering a panic attack during a game.
The young gymnast was one of many survivors who was sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar, the former team doctor of the United States women's national gymnastics team who was sentenced to 175 years in prison for his crimes in 2018. Biles revealed that the trauma caused by the assaults contributed to her decision to exit the 2020 Olympics: "My body and my mind allowed me to suppress all of that stuff for so many years, for as long as it could take, and as soon as we stepped on to the Olympic scene, it just decided it couldn't do it anymore and it cracked and that's what happens and that's why taking care of your mental well-being and mental health is so important so that something like that doesn't happen."
To quote the athlete: "Recently I decided to get on antidepressant medication. That was one of the best decisions I have made in a while. Since then I have been able to think without the dark undertone in mind of nothing matters. Thank you God for mental Health."
Rodgers told The Athletic: "I think it's great, I saw what Dak said and I applaud him. I think it's phenomenal, him speaking out because that's true courage and that's true strength. It's not a weakness at all."
He said: “I found that with depression one of the most important things you could realize is that you’re not alone. You’re not the first to go through it…"
Biles teared up as she described the feeling of being unable to perform in the sport she loves and has been doing her whole life because of what she's gone through. However, she ended on a note of hope, saying "I'm proud of myself and I'm happy that I can be a leader for the survivors and bring courage to everybody speaking up, so I'm happy to be a voice for them."
He said: "For athletes, people don't see that side of us. They only see us on the court competing every night, having fun, just going out to fans and always putting out a smile."
Williams has also spoken publicly about her battle with postpartum depression after her daughter, Olympia, was born in 2017.
She wrote on Instagram: "I've often felt that people have no regard for athletes' mental health, and this rings very true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one."
Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka are two of the most famous athletes in the world at the moment, and they both made waves in 2021 by speaking out about mental health. Both stars revealed that their ability to perform and take part in their public responsibilities was hindered by stress and anxiety. Professional athletes competing at their level deal with an unimaginable amount of pressure. It's easy to be distracted by their incredible talent and success and forget just how young they are.
Naomi Osaka has had a rough start the year, suffering an emotional loss at the Indian Wells Tourney in California in March. Osaka was losing 3-0 against Veronika Kudermetova when a woman in the crowd stood up and screamed "Naomi, you suck!" The rest of the spectators turned on the heckler and supported Osaka, but the incident clearly got to her. She was in tears on the court and ended up losing the game. A couple of weeks later, Osaka revealed at a press conference that she finally started seeing a therapist after her Indian Wells loss. She said she was already seeing the benefits and learning coping skills for these kinds of upsetting situations.
Click on to see what she and several other athletes have to say on the matter of mental health.
These athletes opened up about mental health
Naomi Osaka shares that she's started therapy after emotional defeat at Indian Wells
CELEBRITY Sports
Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka are two of the most famous athletes in the world at the moment, and they both made waves in 2021 by speaking out about mental health. Both stars revealed that their ability to perform and take part in their public responsibilities was hindered by stress and anxiety. Professional athletes competing at their level deal with an unimaginable amount of pressure. It's easy to be distracted by their incredible talent and success and forget just how young they are.
Naomi Osaka has had a rough start the year, suffering an emotional loss at the Indian Wells Tourney in California in March. Osaka was losing 3-0 against Veronika Kudermetova when a woman in the crowd stood up and screamed "Naomi, you suck!" The rest of the spectators turned on the heckler and supported Osaka, but the incident clearly got to her. She was in tears on the court and ended up losing the game. A couple of weeks later, Osaka revealed at a press conference that she finally started seeing a therapist after her Indian Wells loss. She said she was already seeing the benefits and learning coping skills for these kinds of upsetting situations.
Click on to see what she and several other athletes have to say on the matter of mental health.