Many NFL players have turned personal struggles into public advocacy. They helped make mental health harder to dismiss in a sport that long treated silence as toughness and struggles as taboo. Despite some media’s lack of understanding in terms of mental health, here are five NFL players who are open about their struggles and their advocacy.
Brandon Marshall
Wide receiver, 2006–2018 (Broncos, Dolphins, Bears, Jets, Giants, Seahawks). Six-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro, and the fastest receiver to 10,000 yards at the time. Career totals: 970 receptions, 12,351 yards, 83 touchdowns.
In 2011 he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder at McLean Hospital after off-field issues nearly ended his career and marriage. He has said the diagnosis alone made him “50 percent better,” and that treatment cost about $100,000 — money most people do not have. With his then-wife Michi he founded Project 375 (named for the lime-green Pantone color used for mental-health awareness). The nonprofit funds Mental Health First Aid training for coaches, teachers, and first responders, partnered with UCF on a graduate counseling fellowship, and pushed the line that one in four people is affected. He has spoken at the U.S. Senate and the Vatican, and later co-founded I Am Athlete as a space for athletes to talk unfiltered. His disclosure is widely credited with making it easier for later athletes to go public.
Dak Prescott
Dallas Cowboys quarterback since 2016, the 2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year, a multiple-time Pro Bowler, and the 2022 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.
He lost his mother, Peggy, to colon cancer in 2013, and his brother Jace to suicide on April 23, 2020. In a 2020 interview he described anxiety and depression in the days before Jace’s death, then pushed back when a commentator framed that honesty as weakness. His Faith. Fight. Finish. Foundation (named for Peggy) has four pillars: colon cancer research, mental health and suicide prevention, police-community relations, and help for people in crisis. He writes “Ask 4 Help” on his wrist tape, points people to 988, and still does school visits — including a May 2025 Day of Hope at Aledo High with Brad Hunstable, whose son also died by suicide. He has said Jace’s death should save lives, not just mark a loss.
Solomon Thomas
Defensive lineman. The 49ers took him third overall in 2017 out of Stanford. He has also played for the Jets and Cowboys and, as of 2026, the Titans.
His sister Ella died by suicide on January 23, 2018, at 24. He has said he had suicidal thoughts afterward and that therapy saved his life. In 2021 he and his parents, Chris and Martha, founded The Defensive Line to prevent youth suicide, with a focus on Black, Latino, and Native communities where the topic is still often treated as someone else’s problem. The CDC has reported suicide among Black youth rising faster than in other major groups. The organization trains people in mental-health first aid and has set a goal of reaching millions over five years. Thomas’s line is simple: there is no strength in silence.
Brian Dawkins
Eagles safety, 1996–2008, then Broncos through 2011. Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2018. Nine-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro, and the emotional center of those Eagles defenses — “Weapon X.”
In his Hall of Fame speech he said he dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts as a rookie, put on a mask every day, and only got help after his wife Connie and defensive coordinator Emmitt Thomas pushed him toward a psychiatrist and medication. Faith is the frame he uses most. He prefers “cerebral wellness” to “mental health” because of the stigma he grew up with. Through the Brian Dawkins Impact Foundation he has run a Young Ambassadors program with Philadelphia students after gun violence, and he has done ruck marches with USAA, the Wounded Warrior Project, and Face the Fight aimed at veteran suicide. His Canton line is the one people still quote: there is something on the other side of this.
Lane Johnson
Eagles right tackle, 2013–2026. Fourth overall pick out of Oklahoma. Two-time Super Bowl champion, five-time All-Pro, six-time Pro Bowler, and the Eagles’ 2023 Walter Payton nominee. He retired this week after 14 seasons.
Anxiety showed up in high school as morning vomiting and panic. It followed him through junior college, Oklahoma, and the NFL. In 2021 he missed three games with withdrawal symptoms after stopping an SSRI and then went public about depression and anxiety he had hidden from friends and family. He has done regional talks, written a “Season of Strong” mental-health column, and stayed available to teammates who were throwing up in hotel rooms before kickoff. In his October 6, 2026 retirement statement he said he had wanted another year, but that it was critical he focus on his mental health. That exit is part of the record, not a footnote.
If you or someone you know needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org.
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