This article deals with topics including mental health issues, depression, and suicide.
Following the Philadelphia Eagles dominant win in Super Bowl 59, Eagles offensive guard Mekhi Becton sat on the confetti-strewn field, his son in his lap, tears streaming down his face. Head coach Nick Sirriani— known to be an emotional guy (and sometimes criticised for it), cried with his family on national television, during a post-Super Bowl interview. Linebacker Zack Baun could be seen crying into Sirriani’s arms at the championship parade in Philadelphia.
In a sport where the biggest, most aggressive players excel, emotion usually doesn’t have a place on the field. The emotions that are there are usually anger. Most other emotions are criticized as weak— for a long time, being emotional was said to be for women and not men. Boys were told not to cry like a girl.
Football is male-dominated so that culture of toxic masculinity rules the league. With that comes the encouragement to, “suck it up,” and, “push through,” whatever it is that the players are dealing with. That toughness mentality is more harmful than helpful, according to the American Psychological Association. With the mentality of “sucking it up,” real issues are hidden and pushed down, leading to increased feelings of loneliness, negative coping strategies, and worse outcomes. Mental health challenges are even more harmful when they are not properly addressed.
But the Eagles, in the past, throughout this season, and especially throughout their playoff run have been open with their thoughts, feelings, and emotions, despite criticisms they may have faced.
When he was on the Tennessee Titans, now-Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown shared about his struggles with mental health, suicidal ideations, and depression. Moreover, he’s been open about seeing a therapist.
In January, Brown was caught reading a book on the sidelines of a playoff game. He was reading Inner Excellence by mental skills coach Jim Murphy. According to teammates, he brings the book to every game, as something to keep him focused and centered during the intensity of the game. Fans praised Brown for sharing the book; the young men in their lives were more excited about reading when their favorite football player reads.
With the power of being a role model to so many, Brown can also use that platform to encourage open conversations about mental health. Even in the lead-up to this year’s Super Bowl, Brown encouraged people to reach out to the people around them because he knew what his own struggles were like.
But it’s not just Brown’s openness encouraging young people. It seems that there’s a culture of embracing emotional vulnerability on Philadelphia’s team, something encouraging for the people who look up to these players. Eagles players have been openly crying for weeks, since winning the NFC Championship on the road to the Super Bowl. They’ve talked about how much this experience means to them, how much work they put in to achieve their current positions, and how much doubt, both from themselves and from others, they’ve had to overcome.
Becton is a prime example. Before coming to the Eagles, he played for the New York Jets. With the Jets, he was plagued with injuries and never saw eye-to-eye with the coaching staff. Social media users called him, “lazy,” “out of shape,” and a “bum.” He was released to free agency when his contract was up and arrived in the Eagles locker room. There, with the help of very supportive offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland and a position change, Bection thrived, becoming an integral part of the Eagles offense. Making it to the Super Bowl was one-in-a-million for him and he did it. That’s why the tears were free-flowing.
It’s not just openly crying for successes that these guys have going for them. Men say, “I love you,” to their male friends less frequently than women do. But the Eagles have nothing but love for each other… and they’re not afraid to say it. Just watch any of the mic’d up videos from the last few games of the playoffs and from the celebrations after. There are countless videos of Eagles players telling each other they love them. Towards the end of the the Super Bowl, quarterback Jalen Hurts hugs crying wide receiver Devonta Smith and tells him he loves him, highlighting their longtime friendship, dating back to their time playing football together in college.
The best example of putting aside egos and showing an unusual amount of love (at least in the football world) and support for the people around you is running back Saquon Barkley. He had a Hall of Fame season in just his first season with the Eagles. He broke records all season, including becoming just the ninth player to run for 2,005 rushing yards in a season, and breaking the all-time rushing yards record for a season including the post-season.
Though he could have broken the regular season rushing record, he was okay with sitting out during the final game: The team’s sights were set on the Super Bowl and endangering that for a personal record isn’t Barkley’s style. And every time Barkley is asked about his records, he’s quick to praise the work of the rest of the offense. In fact, he told the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon that he wouldn’t do a post-Super Bowl appearance without the offensive line right alongside him. All season, he has put his own ego aside to work as a team player and share that love with his teammates.
While there are other individuals throughout the rest of the NFL and the sports world in generalsharing their own mental health struggles with the world, no one is doing it as a team like the Eagles are.
Maybe, beyond working to beat the Eagles in competition, other NFL teams will also harness the Eagles’ openness with emotional vulnerability. The Eagles, and the NFL in general, have a huge platform. While sometimes it is criticized for negative outcomes, like intense head injuries, and a culture of racism, the NFL could be a platform for kids and young men to learn about and talk more openly about mental health and emotional vulnerability. And that would be like winning a Super Bowl.
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