Donovan Edwards Opens Up About Mental Health Struggle

Mental health has become hugely recognized in a wide variety of fields throughout the past few years. For athletes, though, it is rarely discussed. 

However, Michigan running back Donovan Edwards is working to change this dynamic.

How Edwards is inspiring the next generation of athletes

Last month Edwards hosted his third annual youth camp. Content creator and entrepreneur Kevin Walsh covered the event and shared some details.

Walsh said Edwards led drills and worked on the campers’ speed, agility, and field goal kicks. The kids even got an opportunity to take photos with him, which several campers noted was their favorite part of the day in Walsh’s video.

The most significant part of the day, though, was Edwards’ focus on mental health. The camp was even presented by Sack the Stigma, a campaign dedicated to mental health awareness. 

The 21-year-old shared some of what he told the kids with FOX News 

“They’re going to do everything the best that they can, you know, and they’re going to be successful,” Edwards said, describing the campers. “Hopefully I get to spill the message to them.”

“My message is going to be you know you’re going to face adversity one time or another but at the end of the day you’re going to have a choice and the choice is between either crumbling or falling,” he explained. “If I can just implement that into a couple of these kids I did my job out here today.”

The running back met with Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb after the event and shared more about his mental health journey.

Although he lost his confidence for a bit, he says he got it back right in time for some of the most important plays of his career.

Edwards opens up

“I got my fire back at the right time,” Edwards told Webb. “It was kind of a little bit before Penn State. I was on the knee, and I’m like, ‘man, forget all the BS. Do you realize that you’re him? Do you realize that people can’t do what you can do?’ So, I got my fire back…I was determined to achieve anything and everything, and I got that fire back at the right time. Regardless of how things were going for me (individually last season), I didn’t care. I was still going to work hard.”

Edwards said he had a similar experience in high school. As one of the best players on the team, he said he expected to be team captain. However, it was his ruthless approach to the game that was holding him back. 

In the end, he learned a great deal from the experience. 

“My senior year really shaped me on how to lead,” he said to Webb. And that’s allowing other people to lead as well. I don’t have to be the only person that’s saying something or that’s going out there just rallying the guys… I consider myself an alpha leader, but I want to step back, and I want other people to lead and to become the men that I know that they’re capable of being.”

An immense impact

Overall, Edwards is making an enormous impact on the issue of mental health in sports. With the help of athletes like him, hopefully, more individuals will feel more open about discussing their struggles with mental health. 

“It’s important to spread the message about mental health because nobody wants to be depressed,” said Edwards in 2022. “The basic law of living life is to have love and be loved and receive love from everybody.” 

“We definitely want to use our platform to make sure everybody is mentally okay,” he said to Sports Illustrated.

Victoria Jonach is an aspiring writer and media analyst fascinated by what kinds of activities players participate in off the football field. Growing up in New Jersey, she is a New York Giants fan and attends Rutgers University, pursuing a career in Journalism and Media Studies. She writes for FirstRoundMock.com covering anticipated draft picks and their acts of volunteerism, entrepreneurship, and other interests that shape these individuals.