Blindsided

In 2021, Nashville Predators prospect Luke Prokop came out as gay in a social media post, making him the first player under contract to an NHL team to do so. His announcement was received positively by family, friends, and teammates. But acceptance wasn’t a given. The year leading up to his announcement, Luke struggled under the immense pressure of his secret. In the end, he had a choice to make about his mental health, and he deci...

When she was growing up, sports was the one place where Beth King felt in control. She played soccer at the collegiate level, but ultimately joined the military for her career. Deployed to Afghanistan, in 2011 she was riding in a helicopter that was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, leaving her with severe injuries to her spine and brain. A few months after the accident, Beth began to experience symptoms of PTSD and depression. Th...

Kaillie Humphries grew up in Calgary, Alberta, where the legacy of the 1988 Olympics brought her up close and personal to the sport of bobsledding. She dreamed of becoming an Olympian and would go on to win gold medals at the 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi Games. She was living out her dream … or so it seemed. Things changed under a new coach, and the hostile environment took an extreme toll on her mental health. In August 2018, Kai...

​​Before Georges Laraque was a sports commentator and a political leader, he was a notorious enforcer in the NHL. He played that role well, but the truth is that he hated fighting. His childhood had been marked by his father’s abuse and by racism he experienced on the ice as he rose through the ranks in junior hockey. There was no place to seek refuge. For a long time, the enforcer’s battles off the ice were like a weight on his ch...

On this episode of Blindsided, Dr. Diane asks Corey the questions. We learn about the complexities of OCD, what life was like before his diagnosis, and how difficult finding the right help was. For a long time, Corey was a prisoner of his own mind. Now, the chains have lifted and he’s found a meaningful path forward in his life living with OCD and ADHD. The hosts discuss why they decided to start this podcast and what they hope to ...

For most of his racing career, Cody Ware kept his trauma hidden within the narrow confines of the race track. Behind the wheel of his Nurtec ODT Ford Mustang, he was focused and exhilarated, chasing his next checkered flag. But away from the track, he was struggling day to day. Back in high school, Cody was the victim of severe bullying, which escalated to a violent attack that left him with physical injuries and mental trauma. The...

Everson Griffen was an energetic force on the Vikings defensive line for 10 years, wreaking havoc against offensive linemen and getting to the ball any way he could. But off the field, he’d been running from something for a long time. Everson remembers struggling with his mental health since his days in college, knowing that something was wrong, but never understanding what it was. After the death of his mother, his uneasiness incr...

To Eddie Kingston, the macho, no-B.S. character he plays as a pro wrestler is actually no character at all — it’s him, at 17 years old. Half-Puerto Rican and half-Irish, Eddie was a target of racism at school, and building a reputation as a neighborhood tough guy was how he dealt with it. Back then, the only thing that could quiet the noise was popping in a VHS tape and watching the wrestling greats battle it out on TV while dreami...

Sheldon Kennedy never dreamed of being a 20-year-old kid who would be in and out of psych wards. He never dreamed of being in a hospital on suicide watch, and he never dreamed of going through drug and alcohol treatment eight times. But that became his reality. From a young age, Sheldon was sexually abused by his junior hockey coach, Graham James, a prominent figure in his hockey community. And for 11 years, Sheldon struggled in si...

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome Helen Maroulis. She’s the first Olympic gold medalist ever for the U.S. in women’s wrestling. After reaching the pinnacle of her career at the 2016 Games in Rio, Helen suffered a concussion. The effects revealed themselves over time and, she says, changed her a lot — mentally and emotionally. But she was determined to heal. Helen talks about struggling with her mental heal...

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome professional golfer Bubba Watson. Bubba has won 12 times on the PGA Tour, including twice at The Masters, where he claimed the Green Jacket in 2012 and again in 2014. But few knew that during that time Bubba was struggling with anxiety. His new book, Up and Down: Victories and Struggles in the Course of  Life, details how his anxiety affects him personally, professionally, and physical...

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome Kurt Warner. Kurt is a former NFL quarterback who won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams. And in 2017, Kurt was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But before all that … before the trip to Canton … before the 32,344 passing yards … before “The Greatest Show on Turf” … he stocked shelves at a local Hy-Vee grocery store in Cedar Falls, Iowa. ...

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome Nate Boyer. Nate is a former long snapper for the University of Texas Longhorns, but he’s unlike any other football player you’ve ever met. Nate volunteered as a relief worker in Sudan, then enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served in both Iraq and Afghanistan as a Green Beret. And that’s all before he started playing football. People celebrate him, but he’s always felt ...

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome Darryl Sydor. Darryl is the current co-owner of the Kamloops Blazers. Before that he was a defenseman in the National Hockey League. He won two Stanley Cups, the first with the Dallas Stars and the second with the Tampa Bay Lightning. But throughout his career Darryl struggled with body-image issues. He developed an eating disorder. And when his playing career ended … his addiction t...

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome Kevin Love. Kevin is an NBA player for the Cleveland Cavaliers, with whom he won an NBA championship in 2016. He’s also one of the most prominent professional athletes to speak out about his mental struggles. His article, “Everyone is going through something” struck a chord in the sports community and beyond. It helped a lot of people and athletes to open up. Kevin talks a...

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome Taylor Townsend. Taylor has been a name in the tennis world for some time. She dominated in the junior division, achieving a Grand Slam in singles and a No. 1 world ranking.  Then, at 15, she turned pro. But staying at the top was tough. Taylor opens up about depression, the journey to finding the right therapy and the mental toughness it takes to undertake a climb back to the top. Thi...

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome Paul Bissonnette. Paul is former NHL defenseman for the Phoenix Coyotes. He played in just about 200 games, but he’s one of the most well-known hockey players on the planet. He’s also a co-host of Spittin’ Chiclets. And while most know him for his loud, sometimes lewd, public persona ... there’s the Paul Bissonnette that players know: A great teammate. A great person...

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome Julius Thomas. Julius is a former tight end for the Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins. Before the NFL, Julius was a basketball star at Portland State. But he believed he could play pro football. So he went for it. Most surprising, though, is what Julius is doing now. He retired from football in 2018 to study psychology and is currently going for his doctorate. So this ...

On our very first episode of Blindsided, we welcome Clint Malarchuk. Clint is a former National Hockey League goaltender for the Quebec Nordiques, Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres. Most people, however, remember Clint for sustaining one of the worst injuries in the history of sports. In 1989, he collided with a player in front of the net. A skate sliced across Clint’s neck. And he nearly bled out on the ice. The acciden...