Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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"That took a toll on our team," Mattison said. "You could just feel it in the room that everyone's hearts were heavy."
Unlike a few of his teammates, Mattison had no personal relationship with Hilinski; nonetheless, he felt connected to the fellow athlete who grew up just 30 miles from Mattison's hometown of San Bernardino, California, and also was an older brother.
The tragedy motivated Mattison to learn more about depression, suicide and mental health in general, both within the athletics community and beyond. In addition to self-educating, he engaged in conversations with health professionals who gave presentations and talks at Boise State.
"I learned a lot, as far as accepting that things are hard. I was always the one to kind of push it off, fight it off, and let it get to a boiling point where you can't handle it anymore," he reflected. "I've learned a lot about how unhealthy that is for you, as far as your emotions, your mind, trying to navigate through day-to-day life – it just makes things harder. And then you start to get to a place of negative thoughts and just negative feelings."
Mattison became increasingly passionate about suicide prevention and raising awareness for mental health, and he's since come to understand better how to support friends and family members who are battling mental illness. When the Vikings drafted him in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, he didn't take for granted the incredible platform.
Following his rookie season, Mattison branded and launched I AM GIFTED, a clothing line he's using to be a positive light and share hope.
"Everyone was born with a gift," he said of the message behind I AM GIFTED. "Find it. Embrace it. Use it to shed light into this world! Life is what you make of it – so what are you going to make of it?"