An Ohio State football player with a 4.0 grade-point average in mechanical engineering quit the team and shared a heart-wrenching Twitter post describing how depression drove him to attempt suicide.
Buckeyes’ offensive lineman Harry Miller credited Coach Ryan Day with steering him to mental health help after he confided that he had sought to take his own life prior to the 2021 season. The fourth-year player recounted his journey and announced his retirement from football in a lengthy note posted on Twitter Thursday night.
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“I would not usually share such information,” Miller wrote. “However, because I have played football, I am no longer afforded the privilege of privacy, so I will share my story briefly before more articles continue to ask, ‘What is wrong with Harry Miller?'” his statement read. “That is a good question. It is a good enough question for me not to know the answer, though I have asked it often.”
— Harry Miller (@h_miller76) March 10, 2022
Miller apparently tried to hang himself and slashed his wrists because he said he tried returning to the gridiron and covered up scars on his wrists and throat with tape.
“At the time, I would rather be dead than a coward,” he wrote. “I’d rather be nothing at all, than have to explain everything that was wrong. … I was planning on being reduced to my initials on a back of a helmet. I had seen people seek help before. I had seen the age-old adage of how our generation was softening by the second, but I can tell you my skin was tough.”
Miller, who intends to remain enrolled at the Big Ten school, credited Day for helping him.
“I hope athletic departments around the country do the same,” Miller said. “If not for [Day] and the staff, my words would not be a reflection. They would be evidence in a post-mortem.”
The 6-foot, 4-inch, 315-pound Miller, who was a five-star recruit out of Buford, Georgia, started seven games for the Buckeyes in 2020 and was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team.
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Miller’s emotional post triggered an outpouring of support from Buckeye fans.
“Wishing you the best in your future endeavors, Harry,” wrote Nick Adams. “Thanks for sharing.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
