Former Steelers LB Anthony Chickillo Absolutely Trashes Office During Medical Emergency At Hospital

Pittsburgh Steelers former linebacker, Anthony Chickillo may have retired from the NFL in July of 2021, but during his playing time, he was known as an excellent special teams player. After six seasons in the league, with five of those spent in Pittsburgh, it seems that Chickillo has been dealing with some personal struggles as he tries to find his footing with football no longer being the primary focus of his life.

Steelers Former Linebacker Chickillo Suffering From Bipolar Disorder

Usually, when the brutal hits in football are brought up in Pittsburgh, the first person everyone thinks of is Antonio Brown. As it turns out, Chickillo didn't just take his fair share of lumps in the NFL; they are having a serious impact on his life now.

According to TMZ, Chickillo was going through a medical event stemming from his bipolar disorder. This disorder is seemingly directly due to the concussions he suffered during his playing time. The former Steelers linebacker was in Hialeah, Florida, early on Thursday morning when a calm Chickillo suddenly began to fly off the handle. His father was also with him, but it didn't seem to help diffuse the situation, as police reported that Chickillo was in the process of fighting his father when they arrived on the scene.

The situation escalated quickly, with Chickillo starting off without incident and then throwing office furniture and breaking objects around the room. The sudden nature of the circumstances took everyone by surprise, especially considering it was a former NFL player who was acting out of control. The police responders told TMZ that Chickillo threatened the room of people before turning on his father and then wrestling with him.

By the time the officers subdued Chickillo, the former player's shoes were off, he was shirtless, and the police had to use a taser just to get Chickillo in a calm enough state to handle the situation. Whether it was basic human understanding or the knowledge of the underlying issues Chickillo is dealing with, there were no charges pressed, and instead of an arrest, Chickillo was placed under a 72-hour psychiatric hold.

Steelers Chickillo Was A Dynamic, Reliable Special Teams Ace

Teams in the NFL celebrate finding a true special teams player who doesn't mind putting in the thankless work for those few downhill-speed plays a game. Chickillo fell right into that role and filled it well for five years in Pittsburgh. He was relied on often and did his job admirably on special teams for the Steelers, then in 2019, the wheels began to come off a bit.

Chickillo had a run-in with the law after a domestic violence charge caused an arrest in late 2019. While the charge was withdrawn later, the situation ended with Chickillo being released from the Steelers in March of 2020, though no connection was made between the arrest and the eventual release of the former linebacker.

Chickillo went to the New Orleans Saints before his final NFL stop became the Denver Broncos, leading to his official retirement after playing the 2020 season with the Broncos. The decision to retire wasn't expected by the team or those close to Chickillo, with it coming as a surprise considering that he was still a viable athlete after only six seasons in the league. It could have been the concussions, which stack on each other to lead to the circumstances that Chickillo currently finds himself in.

Hopefully, Chickillo can use this opportunity to seek some a legitimate form of treatment and start to find some peace in his life, even without football playing a role.

What was your favorite play made by Anthony Chickillo as a Steelers defender? 

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