Urban Meyer opens up about his struggles with mental health
By Jason Hall
Published:
Former Florida and current Ohio State coached revealed past mental health battles during his time at UF in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report Magazine.
Meyer said he struggled with anxiety and depression while obsessing over his work, which drove him to sleep deprivation, Ambien abuse and a 40-pound weight loss.
“When he was in the middle of it, that’s where you can’t think. In a black hole, you don’t see things the right way,” Meyer said. “I hate to admit that, but yeah, 15 years ago, maybe 10 years ago, I would’ve been like, C’mon, man, toughen up. What the hell’s wrong with you?”
Meyer’s wife, Shelley, is a psychiatric nurse who told Bleacher Report that she tried to help her husband. However, he brushed off exercise and other activities in order to gain a coaching advantage.
“It was just a big mountain of pressure, stress, lack of control and not accepting what he couldn’t control. He was not accepting that he couldn’t control everything. He’s a perfectionist. He wants to win every game. He wants to win every championship. And that’s just not even clear thinking. You can’t. You just can’t.
“When he was in the middle of it, that’s where you can’t think. In a black hole, you don’t see things the right way.”
Meyer won two national championship (2006, 2008), two SEC championships (2006, 2008) and three SEC East Division titles (2006, 2008-’09) during his six seasons at Florida. He finished with a 65-15 (36-12 SEC) record and the second-highest winning percentage (.813) in school history behind Steve Spurrier (.817).
We recommend you read Meyer’s exclusive interview at Bleacher Report here.
Jason covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.
