At some point in their lives, most people face some kind of struggle with their mental health. While the stigma around it is slowly being phased out, it's still extremely difficult for most people who deal with mental health struggles to speak openly about it. That's what made the latest Players' Tribune post by former Green Bay Packers cornerback and All-Pro, Jaire Alexander, all the more impressive.
Alexander, 29, was a staple of the Packers' defense for seven years, reaching the Pro Bowl twice while proving himself as one of the most impactful defensive players over the last decade in Green Bay. That made it difficult for all parties when the Packers released him last June. Alexander, who started 76 games for the green and gold and corralled 12 interceptions in that span, was dealing with lingering knee issues, which he described in further detail in his article.
The nagging PCL injury, which is now ostensibly healed, according to the article, flared up with consistent use and practice over the course of almost a year. It's what kept him from reaching his potential at the next stops in his career journey, in Baltimore and Philadelphia.
While Alexander says that he's recovered from the knee injury and is feeling his best in years, it's the mental aspect of Jaire's journey that speaks to his perseverance and character.
Jaire Alexander opens up about the mental hurdles of departing the Green Bay Packers.
For years, Packers fans expected that Alexander would spend the rest of his career in America's Dairyland, fighting tooth and nail for Green Bay's dominance of the NFC North. What they didn't realize so deeply was that Alexander had the same vision for himself, which made the harsh reality of his Green Bay departure so emotionally devastating.
That, combined with the hardship of his own body keeping him from achieving his career ambitions, sent Alexander into a dark place in his career. So when it felt like there was nowhere left to go, Alexander took matters into his own hands and stepped away from the game he loves. Simply put, that takes guts.
To step away from your primary mode of income and the game that you're so emotionally and physically invested in has to be one of the most difficult decisions a pro athlete can make. Alexander showed real courage, prioritizing his own physical and mental well-being over the money-making opportunities that come with playing in the NFL.
His name value alone would've been enough to keep Alexander in the mix, but that's not good enough — especially for someone as talented as him. Yet through all this, he stayed true to himself and learned an extremely valuable lesson:
"Life isn’t always gonna go perfect. There will always be ups and downs. And sometimes just being able to say that you’re in a good place, and just being happy overall... That really is good enough."
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