In story about suicide attempt, Hayden Hurst thanks support system at South Carolina
Former South Carolina tight end Hayden Hurst wrote out his own harrowing story.
For The Players Tribune, the newly-minted Atlanta Falcon shared his experience that night in Columbia, the night after the 2015 season when, in the midst of abusing substances and his own mental health battles, he attempted to take his own life.
“If I’d had a gun, I would have died last night,” Hurst wrote about the thoughts he had when he woke up.
He wrote about the traumas that led up to that moment, family members who took their own lives, a difficult baseball career that was ended by the yips.
And in the midst of all that, he felt a level of support from those at the University of South Carolina.
“I started meeting with a therapist on campus. Dr. [Timothy] Malone and I would talk through everything,” Hurst wrote. “It was just … I can’t explain really how helpful it was just to be able to talk to someone and not feel any fear of repercussions from what I might say. I leaned on our new coach, Will Muschamp. Our strength coach, Jeff Dillman, would open up the weight room to me at all hours so I could get in there and release some energy. So many people on campus knew little bits about what I was going through, and they were all so helpful.
“I thank God for those people, and for the University of South Carolina.”
He added that his time with the therapist allowed him to open up to his family.
He hasn’t had a drink since then. He went on to a prolific final two seasons with the Gamecocks, setting several records.
He was taken in the first round of the NFL draft by Baltimore and was traded to Atlanta this offseason.
Hurst has often spoken about his struggles and has a foundation built around raising awareness of mental health issues in adolescents and teens.
The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255.
