New exclusive interview with Braden Smith on the mental health struggles that kept him out of the end of last season.

18 comments

  1. Holy shit this was an intense read. We assumed Braden was going though some personal stuff but wow. So glad he’s doing better.

  3. Well that article was quite the trip. Very glad to hear Braden seems to be doing better. Mental health struggles are no joke.

    I’d be lying if I said I’m not concerned that this could come back to be an issue all over again at some point, but that’s for the Colts to worry about.

  5. Well. That was intense and kinda depressing way to start the morning. Very happy Braden found his way to work through it all and got better.

  6. In short: Smith was diagnosed with a version of OCD known as “religious scrupulosity” which became debilitating last year. Intrusive thoughts made it impossible to focus on football. He left the team to seek treatment. The first attempts at traditional treatments failed. Ultimately, he went to Mexico for an alternative treatment using psychedelics (ibogaine), which has worked.

  7. Ibogaine in general sounds a lot like Ayahuasca. I’m sure there are plenty of differences, but it makes you wonder what other things are out there that could yield the same significance of benefits to a person.

  9. Say what you will about the organization but I really appreciate how caring the Colts seemed to be for Braden in this

  10. Wow.

    The brain is a very scary thing folks. Even after all these long years of increasing medical & psychological research / understanding, it is still such a complex and mysterious landscape to comprehend.

    Be kind to others & don’t judge. You just really never *know* what people are individually going through.

  11. Kudos to the Colts org for handling this situation the right way. And I’m glad that Braden got the help he needed.

  12. Incredibly story. For anyone struggling- please seek help. Not everyone climbs out of the hole on their own

  13. As someone who had really bad OCD in my childhood and teenage years, I’m glad Braden has found answers. OCD can make daily life debilitating, especially if you have flare ups.

  14. Damn and some people always bash players for not being active. This shit is more important.

  15. I’m no expert (but I am married to one not to brag 💅) but I feel like playing tackle in the NFL can’t be a good combo with what he’s got going on, for myriad reasons

  16. This is a crazy story. Even crazier then any of us thought. Ballard might actually take a tackle in first because who knows what happens when the season gets going. Glad he got help

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