Weatherly Opens Up to Help Suicide Prevention in Navajo County

Viktor

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Mar 19, 2019
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“Nothing was too harsh, there was nothing that was too in-your-face,” Weatherly said. “Everything was given at a very reasonable pace and very understandable level, so I honestly believe that those middle schoolers were able to take it and understand that, ‘If I see my friend has been acting differently because maybe they’ve lost a family member, or maybe they’ve just moved, or maybe their friend group changed’ or something like that, they know how to ask the right questions to see if … their friend is OK.


“And if they’re not, and if they don’t respond well to the questions, then they know [what steps to take] rather than just being silent,” he continued. “They know to go get an adult; they know to ask the follow-up questions.”


When Weatherly had a chance to share his own story, he did so in an honest and candid manner.


The 25-year-old shared about his experience with depression after a high school relationship that he later recognized as being emotionally and verbally abusive – terms he says he wasn’t even aware of until attending college at Vanderbilt University. He became involved with the One Love Foundation and other on-campus programming that worked to promote healthy relationships.


“I analyzed my own first relationship and realized, ‘These were the exact same things that I was going through.’ That’s why I’m so heavily involved, because I don’t want anyone else to go through that and feel alone like I did,” Weatherly said. “If it’s not addressed, and they don’t have someone to help them out, like I had my grandmother, eventually it could lead to self-harm or, even worse, an attempt on their lives.”


Added Weatherly: “If I could get the proper messaging out … so people don’t have to go through those down points, I feel like that’s important.”


Weatherly’s willingness to open up about his background made him more relatable to those hearing the message.


“I think everybody believes that because I’m a professional athlete, I lived a very happy-go-lucky life, that everything just kind of worked out for me. And that’s not the case,” Weatherly said. “Not only for myself but, I think, for a lot of people in the locker room.


“Everyone at some point has gone through some ups and some downs, and to be able to feel comfortable enough to share [that] with people I didn’t know really just made it more of a community feel,” he added. “Even though I’m not a true member of the community, I feel like they accepted me in that moment and were able to receive the next person’s input just a little bit better. I feel like I acted as a bridge in that way.”


Young people may grow accustomed to talks from parents, teachers and school counselors, and Weatherly hopes that his brief time with the Navajo County community will build upon those previous conversations.


As Weatherly prepares for his fourth season with the Vikings, he plans to make an impact not only on the gridiron but in the field of mental health awareness.


“[Mental illness] doesn’t care who you are, it doesn’t care what you do, it doesn’t care what your family did or if you have money or don’t have money,” Weatherly said. “It comes in all shapes and sizes, and it impacts a lot more people than you would expect. I feel like at the end of the day, it’s just about making the attempt to be more understanding, more open if it does affect you directly or affect someone you love or care about.


“Just take a moment and learn on your own, and you’ll be pretty surprised,” he said. “The first time … someone broke those stereotypes down and told me the truth about it, my jaw dropped. It was, ‘But everything I’ve seen is telling me X, and you’re telling me Y.’ I was a part of the problem. So now it’s my turn to go and take that next step and use my platform to positively impact as many people as I can so that it’s no longer a problem.”
 
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