You might remember the name Quinn Pitcock.
He was a third round pick for the Indianapolis Colts in 2007 after being a first team All-American at Ohio State.
He played one season with the Colts and then surprisingly retired at the beginning of training camp the following year.
He had fallen off the radar until recently when he returned to football to play for the Seattle Seahawks.
Two years later, he’s telling the story of why he decided to quit football.
Something wasn’t right. Something was missing. And a day later, that something missing was Pitcock himself, who went underground after never showing up at Colts’ camp.
“I’m introverted. I cast myself away from everybody and became almost a hermit,” Pitcock said Thursday after his first practice with the Seahawks, who are giving him a chance at a comeback. “I was a hermit for a year. No one knew where I was at. I just sat in my apartment and did nothing.”
Nothing except play video games, which became his addiction and way to avoid the world.
I got sucked into that,” said the 26-year-old. “I’m going to be working soon starting some sort of charity to help kids who are addicted to video games because that turned into my way out and I got lost to the world. It took me awhile to get myself back and get my bearings and get back into society.”You always say, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine.’ Then finally you just have an awakening where you say, ‘What am I doing?’ I got to the point where I broke and burned many video games trying to quit. That was my outing. Once I got rid of that and realized I could slowly start eating healthy, exercising and doing all that, I got back on track.”
With help from the NFL Players Association he began getting counseling and treatment for depression and anxiety this past year while continuing to live in Indianapolis.
He started working out. He eliminated all video games except an occasional shot at on-line poker. He hung out at the neighborhood pool “with 9-year-old kids doing gainers off the board” and the kind of things he’d been afraid to do for years because he couldn’t afford to get hurt and jeopardize his football pursuits.
“I got back to my inner-child,” he said, knowing full well that’s not the sort of thing most NFL players talk about.
“A lot of athletes do deal with depression and anxiety and a lot of issues that don’t get covered as much,” Pitcock said. “Being alpha males and being the strong type, you try not to show your weaknesses.
That’s why I want to start a charity more toward that and also any kind of addictions or stuff like that and get people more open to asking for help. Because no one great got anywhere by themselves. They always need help to get there.”That was my biggest problem. I always wanted to do it all on my own. Now I’m open to everybody helping me get where I want to be.”
“It felt good. I’m having a fun time out here today,” Pitcock said. “Guys are very welcoming. I think some of the guys don’t know my story, they just think I got released by Indy. But that’s fine. I’m not trying to make it a big deal. I left quietly and I’d like to come in quietly and just show what I can accomplish for the team and not talk about it.
“I literally flew out here the other day with one little bag of luggage and that’s pretty much my life hopefully until February,” he said. “It’s a whole new chapter in my life and I’m ready to make it a long one.”
What a great story. You never seem to think that something like this could happen an NFL player, but they’re real peoplle just like you and me and they have the same problems that all of us face.
It’s great to hear that Quinn is doing well now. I’ll be keeping tabs on him and be cheering for him to succeed this season.
