Former Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien, who won two Super Bowls with the team, is the latest ex-NFL star to suffer serious effects to his mental health stemming from football.
The 55-year-old recently admitted he once attempted suicide. Though he did not specify a date, Rypien says he took pills and alcohol to try to kill himself on his daughter's birthday but was saved by his wife, who forced the former quarterback to vomit the medication.
"Let me share my story so others can share theirs," Rypien told John Blanchette of The Spokesman-Review. "Let's get rid of this silence that happens when you're caught up in this cycle and you don't know how to find the help I've been afforded."
Related: NFL says 281 concussions reported in 2017, highest-ever total for league
"My story is impactful because people see me in a different light. I want them to see me in an accurate light. I've been down the darkest path. I've made some horrible, horrible mistakes. But I've given myself a chance to progress forward."
Rypien says he was inspired to speak up about his mental health in part due to Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski's suicide in January. Rypien also attended Washington State and is the cousin of former NHL player Rick Rypien, who died of an apparent suicide in 2011.
"I suffer from a complex stew of mental health conditions," Rypien told KHQ-TV, according to ESPN's John Keim. "Dark places, depression, anxiety, addictions, poor choices, poor decisions, brought about from dozens of concussions and thousands of subconcussive injuries from playing this sport."
Rypien, who played 12 seasons with five different teams, has had legal problems in his retirement, including a 2012 prostitution sting as well as a domestic incident in November. He says he's now getting help through medication and support from counselors, doctors, and his family.
Once a Super Bowl MVP, Rypien says he wouldn't want his grandchildren to play football.
