Steelers Legendary QB1 Terry Bradshaw Recalls Getting Diagnosed As "Greatest Moment Of His Life"

Legendary Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Terry Bradshaw has been open about his struggles with mental health for decades and he's hoping more people will continue to seek help so they can have moments as special as his in their own battles. As he slows down following a tough year in 2022, the Pro Football Hall of Famer is urging men to not be afraid to be open about what they're dealing with. 

Bradshaw recently joined his Fox Sports colleague Jay Glazer on his podcast Unbreakable which focuses on mental health. Bradshaw shared some strategies for how he deals with his own tough days and advice for people dealing with mental health challenges in their lives. 

Even during his playing career when he was a star of a franchise in the middle of a dynasty, Bradshaw said he would have some dark periods when he'd make choices he'd wish he hadn't. He'd often go back to his house and just be "sick as a dog." 

"When I’d go into these depressions, I’d make horrible decisions. I got married twice out of those when I had no right doing that. It was such a sickness for me," he said. "When I finally sought help and started seeing the light of day, I was so proud of myself. That’s easily one of the best moments of my life."

Bradshaw said that after having a massive breakdown and seeking help, he was finally able to try to understand what he was dealing with. One of the other keys to his strategies is going to therapy sessions which he said allowed him to understand what triggers he has and how to manage them. 

"It’s one thing to feel bad. It’s another thing to not know why you’re feeling bad," he said. "We all want to know why."

 Steelers' Legendary Quarterback's 2 Biggest Pieces Of Advice

Like in football, in life, it's important to have the right teammates around you when you need them, and Bradshaw said he was able to turn to a teammate in Glazer when he was having a difficult time recently. Glazer said he knows he can turn to people on the panel on days he's having a tough day. 

"You know who you can walk over to say and say that to," Bradshaw said to Glazer. "There's certain people who love you, but they won't handle that very well." 

He said it's important to have those people who you know can help you on a bad day. For Bradshaw, it used to be his doctor who would get the first call, but now it's his wife, Tammy. 

He detailed that she can tell when he's having a bad day and which allows him to take a step back to decompress, take a seat and breathe. He said that he tries as much as possible to deal with his struggles without the use of drugs, sometimes he can't. 

His other main point to people is to go seek help if they're not feeling right, especially like in his and Glazer's cases where they were having panic attacks. 

"You’ll ask yourself why I didn’t go to a doctor sooner," he said. "Seek help, especially in some cases to control it, in other cases maybe even prevent it, but in other cases, it’s a solution for handling the moment."

Steeler Nation, if you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available from Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat on  988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741. 

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