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Iowa OL Sean Welsh bravely addresses on-going struggle with depression

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Something of this magnitude is never easy to talk about openly. Yet, on Wednesday, Iowa offensive lineman Sean Welsh opened up about his on-going battle with depression.

Iowa’s official athletic website published an Op-Ed piece titled My toughest opponent: Depression, which was an Op-Ed piece submitted by Welsh. In the article, the Springboro, Ohio native discussed his experience with depression and how it impacted his life.

Welsh explains that his depression began in 2014 but “swept it under the rug” because of a full class load, football and other responsibilities. And while that worked for awhile, Welsh said, it wasn’t a long-term solution.

From Welsh’s article:

“Then everything started to unravel.  When I returned from winter break, all of the familiar symptoms resurfaced. The bottom line is that I didn’t care about anything at all. Then it got worse.

“The week before spring break in 2015, the wheels really came off. I forgot about classes, missed a midterm and barely survived workouts. It quickly became a downward spiral.  I remember a stretch when I didn’t leave my room for three days.”

To read the article in full, you can visit Iowa’s official athletic website here.

In addition to the article, Welsh also spoke to the media about his condition, an awfully courageous task for anyone suffering through depression, let alone a college student.

Welsh has had quite the football career for the Hawkeyes, starting 35 games on the offensive line over the last three seasons, was an All-B1G honorable mention in 2015 and Second-Team All-American by USAToday in 2016.

In addition to his published article and appearance to the media on Wednesday, Welsh is scheduled to appear at B1G Media Days early next week.

Though he’s had a tremendous career in Iowa City, his bravery and courage off the field on Wednesday certainly outweigh anything he’s accomplished on the field.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB