Roped in by the San Francisco 49ers back in 2019, Deebo Samuel quickly became an important member of the unit. After getting limited opportunities in his rookie season, Samuel managed to hit it out of the park during Super Bowl LIV.
Advertisement
Although 49ers ended up on the losing side, Samuel finished the contest after churning out incredible numbers. He rushed for 53 yards, breaking the Super Bowl record for most rushing yards in Super Bowl history and also ended up catching 5 passes for 39 yards. However, his journey to the top hasn’t been as smooth as many might think.
Also Read: NFL Free Agents 2023: Derek Carr to Jimmy Garoppolo, Top 5 Free Agents of the Coming Offseason
Deebo Samuel reflects on his long running battle with injuries
Deebo has been troubled with injuries for quite some time now. Even his college days, a foot injury almost made him quit football altogether. In a recent interaction with Boardroom, Samuel talked in detail about his injury troubles which had pushed him into depression.
“My mental health issues reflect back to my college days. Due to all the injuries I’ve had, I wanted to quit football altogether. In my second year, I kind of suffered from depression because I broke my foot that summer,” Samuel said during the interaction.
He went on to add that when he returned to the field post recovery, he ended up pulling his hamstring on day 1 of the practice. “I remember I sat there bawling like, ‘What is going on?’” Samuel revealed.
View this post on Instagram
Reflecting on the fact that money isn’t everything in one’s life, Deebo stated, “people think just because you have money and are famous that life is great. But the more well-known you get it, it makes it 10 times harder to just walk around and be yourself.”
The star wide receiver also claimed that all the hustle-bustle, expectations, criticism, everything in the end takes a toll on a professional athlete. It is indeed good to see stars like Samuel sharing their hardships with mental health as it helps in breaking the stigma which surrounds this utterly important topic.
Deebo Samuel has already witnessed a lot of ups & downs
Before the start of the 2022 season, there were rumors that Deebo is looking to switch teams. However, after much deliberation, Samuel ended up signing a three year $73.5 million extension deal with the San Francisco-based franchise.
While he was motoring along nicely, Samuel ended up sustaining an ankle injury against the Bucs and was then ruled out of the entire regular season during week 14. After a breakout 2021 season, where he totaled an astonishing 1,405 receiving yards, Deebo had his second worst since in 2022 after a disastrous 2020 run.
These ups and downs and the kind of toll they take on an athlete’s mental health often evades the public eye.
