Terry Bradshaw has revealed he battled depression in secret for decades, opening up about the condition in his new memoir, "Looking for Terry," published on Tuesday.
The 78-year-old Hall of Famer told People, in an emotional interview, that he was raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, with undiagnosed ADHD and subsequently experienced anxiety attacks. While becoming a four-time Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he experienced severe emotional highs and lows that he dismissed as ordinary.
"You didn't talk about it," Bradshaw explained.
Seeking help and diagnosis
Seeking help did not prove straightforward. Bradshaw acknowledged that admitting, "Hey, I'm really f****d up. I need to get some help," was among the "hardest things" he has ever accomplished.
He consulted with a therapist, a psychiatrist and a pastor, and he received a formal depression diagnosis in the late 1990s, following his retirement from football and as his broadcasting career flourished.
"It is an ugly disease," Bradshaw stated.
Wife's support and 'Roy' visits
He credits his wife, Tammy, for transforming his perspective on the condition. The former radiation therapist, 65, whom he met in the early 2000s and married in 2014, assisted him in reframing it by explaining: "This is not a choice. This isn't the consequence of something you've done. It's not your fault."
The pair have even coined a term for the difficult days. When Bradshaw is going through a bout of depression, they refer to "Roy" paying a visit, and Tammy revealed she can "see it in his eyes" when this takes place.
Bradshaw explained he tells her when he is having a bad day, and she understands how to help. "She just gets me out of it. She gets my mind off of it. She frees me up. We do something. We talk about it," Bradshaw said.
Message to men and future plans
He is also keen for other men to receive his message: "I may be emotional about it, but I'm totally comfortable with telling her. Men think that's a weakness. I got past it being a weakness. It's a sickness. There's nothing wrong with admitting you've got issues."
The revelation emerges as focus on Bradshaw's future and potential retirement intensifies, though the icon insists he has no plans to step down.
"I love my job," Bradshaw said. He revealed that he became anxious this year and wished to extend his contract, thereby signing through the Super Bowl in February 2029, when he will turn 80. "Everybody in any business has to go. The young guys are coming. But I want to be relevant. I want to be good. I want to continue on."
