Aaron Rodgers Blasts Dak Prescott’s Critics Regarding Depression
Dallas Cowboys star quarterback Dak Prescott has been in the spotlight for reasons off the football field. Prescott recently discussed his struggles with depression after his brother passed away, which he received criticism. In light of that, he has garnered strong support with Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers taking the approach of firing back at Prescott’s critics.
Dak Prescott discusses struggles with depression after brother’s death
Dak Prescott is coming off a tough offseason that saw him experience the tragic loss of his brother Jace due to suicide.
It was an extremely rough period for him and his family to go through that tested his mental mindset. During a recent interview on In Depth With Graham Bensinger, Prescott expressed that he went through depression because of the situation.
“Honestly, a couple of days before my brother passed, I started experiencing depression. I didn’t know what I was going through, to say the least, and hadn’t been sleeping at all. But for one night, I sleep the best I’ve slept, missing 10-plus calls from Tad and giving my dad enough time to come in my bedroom and tell me what happened. So I woke up after the best night of sleep I’ve had in 2020 from the worst news — some of the worst news I’ll ever get.”
It was a vulnerable moment for Prescott to talk about a personal situation that impacted him greatly. Despite that, he received strong criticisms for talking about a private matter that hit hard as anybody would after losing a close family member.
In light of that, Prescott has received some strong support around the league, which includes Aaron Rodgers voicing much more than his backing for him.
Aaron Rodgers fires back at Dak Prescott’s critics
Since Dak Prescott received criticism for airing his struggles with depression due to his brother’s death, he has had an outpouring of support.
Among those is Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who voiced tremendous respect for Prescott’s courage to talk about that publicly. Rodgers also went on to bash those that criticize Prescott for opening up about his personal struggles, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
“I saw what Dak said. I applaud him. I think it’s phenomenal because that’s true courage and strength. It’s not a weakness at all…Other people’s opinions of Dak has nothing to do with him. That’s their own insecurities about their inability to deal with their own s–t, probably.”
Rodgers also voiced that Prescott discussing mental health makes him more relatable. These are issues that many people go through daily, making him more personable to those who experience many of these problems.
With many of Prescott’s colleagues coming out with their strong support, it only further shows the positive impact he’s made.
More attention toward mental health ahead
Over the years, there has been a strong stigma around mental health, as it has often drawn a negative connotation.
Many misinterpret any mental breakdown or struggle as a sign of weakness. However, expressing these issues publicly like Prescott and many other athletes like Kevin Love and Michael Phelps helps raise awareness. Millions of people experience these issues and with public figures discussing the matter helps show that they are not alone.
It’s something that Prescott may take a more assertive approach to bring more awareness to mental health. It’s all another step toward erasing that lingering stigma around the matter.
