Ex-NFL QB takes 150 pills in attempt to kill himself. Wife finds him on floor
Playing in the NFL can provide immeasurable joy, but it can also drive a man to the pits of despair.
The latest example of this juxtaposition is the revelation from former Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien that he tried to take his own life — on his daughter’s birthday.
The 1992 Super Bowl MVP opened up recently about his own well-being in interviews with The Spokane-Review and local TV station KHQ in Washington state.
Rypien is something of a football legend in the area, having starred as Washington State’s quarterback during his college years.
Now, recent events have spurred the 55-year-old to come forward and speak about head trauma and how it affects him today.
In January, Tyler Hilinski, the quarterback at Rypien’s alma mater, took his own life.
Moreover, earlier this month, an area high school principal reportedly killed himself with a self-inflicted gunshot.
“Let’s address this now,” Rypien said of this seeming epidemic of suicides. “Let me share my story so others can share theirs. Let’s get rid of this silence that happens when you’re caught up in this cycle and you don’t know how to find the help I’ve been afforded. There are ways to get help. There’s great work going on in our community. But we need to team up and do more.”
https://twitter.com/MarkRypien/status/979559324224602113
The two-time Pro Bowler told the story of how he tried to end his own life by ingesting 150 Advil, then drinking a bottle of Merlot.
“It was the thought that people aren’t going to miss me,” Rypien said. “My life is as s—-y as it could ever be. I was shameful and guilty of poor decisions, shameful and guilty of being depressed all the time. I didn’t want to be around anymore. I didn’t look at how this would affect my kids, my grandkids, my wife, my family.”
Fortunately, his wife Danielle found her husband on the floor and was able to save his life.
“If it wasn’t for my wife coming home and finding me on the floor, and shoving hydrogen peroxide down my throat, and charcoal, to throw up all these pills, I wouldn’t be here today,” he told KHQ, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Even after what they call the “incident”, the Rypiens weren’t free and clear yet.
Mark frequently had what Danielle calls “serial killer eyes.”
There have been incidents of violence, including a time when Mark threw his wife on the bed, upset because she asked him too many “why questions.”
The former quarterback ended up being arrested, though Danielle later refused to cooperate with authorities.
“I had some bruises. I wasn’t black-and-blue. And I don’t regret it, per se, but I did not tell the police what happened,” Danielle recalled. “I didn’t see any good coming from that. If they had locked Mark up, what’s that going to do? Lock up someone who’s on a medication? If he were doing this all the time, that would be different. This was a fluke thing.”
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, can’t be fully discovered until after death, but the Rypiens are convinced that Mark is suffering the disease’s effects.
And he knows that keeping emotional problems a secret doesn’t help anyone.
“It’s hard,” he said. “There’s a lot of guilt and shame just to be in front of your own family in situations like this. When I was really dark, I felt there was no hope. That’s kind of the message I want to get out – that there is hope. I’m getting help.”
“My story is impactful because people see me in a different light. I want them to see me in an accurate light. I’ve been down the darkest path. I’ve made some horrible, horrible mistakes. But I’ve given myself a chance to progress forward.”
https://twitter.com/MarkRypien/status/979560908723699712
And that is more admirable than even the highest of NFL honors.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
