Penn State's Joey Julius opens up about binge eating disorder

Kicker Joey Julius was absent from the Penn State football program from May to July as he sought treatment for an eating disorder, and he opened up about his experience in his first TV interview with "Good Morning America," which aired Friday.

Julius first revealed the diagnosis on his Facebook account on Oct. 3. In the spring, the sophomore was admitted to McCallum Place, where he sought treatment for a binge eating disorder he'd been suffering from for 11 years.

"That's when I was like, 'You know what? If I would've continued down this path, I might not be here right now,'" Julius explained. "I was always calling myself fat, disgusting, lazy."

Julius described times where he would eat a salad in front of his teammates, only to then would go home and eat french fries, Chinese food, and cheesesteak sandwiches, going well past the feeling of full.

"I would have to lay down to the point where I was so sick I couldn't move and just lay there," Julius said. "There were some times I would cry."

In the United States, 20 million women will suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lives, while 10 million men will go through the same thing.

"I just think it's completely false," Julius said on only women being perceived to suffer from eating disorders. "I mean, we all eat."

Since posting his message last week, Julius' story has been shared over 500 times on Facebook, and he has received hundreds of messages from people thanking him for his openness.

"I'm very, very proud of Joey," Penn State head coach James Franklin said. "I really am, in so many ways. I know this is something that probably affects and helps others - to see athletes or someone in Joey's position like this to make himself vulnerable and put himself out there like that.

"I think a lot of people can relate with that, and I think a lot of people can connect with that."