Getting Open: Tony Richardson Goes from Pro Bowl Fullback to Full-Time Advocate

Viktor

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Mar 19, 2019
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It's easy to think that professional athletes have it made. After all, they have celebrity status, fan followings and finances to deal with life's lemons, right?


Not so fast.


"More money, more stress. And people do think, 'If you have a lot of money, you can solve all your problems.' When actually, a lot of times, the most successful people are the loneliest," Richardson said. "You isolate yourself, and you climb that ladder, and as you climb, you're weeding people out. And all of a sudden you get to the top of that mountain, and there's no one there. You're left to yourself and it's like, 'I have no one to really talk to and no one to share with.'


"[Mental illness] doesn't discriminate. It's not a Black problem, it's not a white problem, it's not a Hispanic problem. It's a societal problem," he continued. "We have to continue to be open and understand that there's a lot of people out here who are hurting, and [oftentimes] when people are hurting, they hurt people."


Take time for yourself, Richardson reminded, but also check in on your loved ones. Your coworkers, your parents, your siblings, your friends. Make sure your neighbors know they're valued.
 
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