Joe Barksdale, who played for the St. Louis Rams between 2012-2014, spoke publicly for the first time about his depression and suicide attempt in opening up to the LA Times with a sobering story about his wife finding him in the kitchen with a knife, ready to kill himself:
His severe depression — something Barksdale calls the “monkey” always on his back — had gotten the best of him. Truth didn’t matter anymore. Only sadness did.
He got home and sharpened a knife, his mind racing. His wife, Brionna, convinced him to put it down.