Talley's wife: Bills ambassadorship gave Darryl 'a sense of purpose again'

The physical, mental, and financial struggles of former Buffalo Bills linebacker Darryl Talley were detailed in a November feature by Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.

The story tugged on the heartstrings of many, and soon after, donations began flooding in on a GoFundMe page set up to assist Talley and his family. To date, more than $153,000 has been raised.

Fortunately, things appear to be looking up for Talley and his wife, Janine, who provided an update on her husband in the first of six columns for the Buffalo News.

Janine said her and Darryl were initially embarrassed by the GoFundMe campaign and were adamantly against accepting the money. But they eventually realized it was a gracious gift that could help get them out of their current situation.

"The real jackpots though, were the comments left on the pages of GoFundMe, Facebook, and Twitter by people who got our story; friends, acquaintances and strangers left thoughtful, treasured words of encouragement that still echo," Janine wrote.

Darryl is part of a pioneering program initiated by the NFLPA to diagnose and treat the injuries and illnesses of retired players, and is receiving treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital. It took some convincing, but he is now taking antidepressants.

"Within weeks I noticed an improvement in his mood and clarity in his thinking that had eluded him for years," Janine penned. "Now after three months the medicine has slowly peeled back the mask Darryl was wearing to reveal his former self: him."

Janine also revealed the Bills reached out to Darryl in April and offered him an ambassadorship, which he proudly accepted.

"The Bills have no idea how much that gesture gave Darryl a sense of purpose again," she wrote.