After eight NFL seasons, Darren Waller decided to call it a career on Sunday night.
Taking to YouTube, the 31-year-old tight end revealed how a near-death experience actually factored into why he chose to walk away from the game. Detailing a medical emergency from last November where he found it very hard to breathe.
“I kept nodding [off] and couldn’t breathe, so I ended up calling 911,” Waller recalled. “I think I’m talking clearly on the phone, but they can’t make out much of what I’m saying.”
“I’m there breathing deeply, and in between each breath, I’m yelling out, ‘Help!’ so maybe I could wake the neighbors up,” the former Pro Bowler continued. “I don’t know how long the time was — it felt like forever — and I’m like, ‘Damn, I’m dying on this couch and nobody knows.’ It was kind of similar to my overdose — like the power plug being pulled out and I couldn’t breathe anymore.”
Waller’s addiction to drugs and alcohol led to an overdose in 2017 that pushed him into sobriety. He’s since become a major advocate for mental health.
“It was a very scary situation,” Waller said. “I ended up going to the hospital for 3 ½ days. Couldn’t stand up and … use the bathroom or feed myself. It was an experience that would sober somebody up and make them think, at least.
“I say all that because … I go back into my daily life, and it’s pretty clear I almost just lost my life. And I don’t know if I really feel like I would’ve felt great about how my life was going if I died at the time,” Waller concluded. “I’m doing something [football] that I found a lot of joy in … but the passion has slowly been fading.”
Waller leaves the NFL a two-time 1,000-yard receiver after being selected in the sixth round by Baltimore back in 2015. His stops in the National Football League included stints with the Ravens, Raiders and Giants.