Jack Schwaba

[CappyNU]

InsideNU has a great story up on why Jack Schwaba walked away from the team.

http://www.insidenu.com/2015/5/13/8595401/jack-schwaba-northwestern-wwe-mental-health-football

Good for him in figuring out what wasn't working and doing what was necessary to get to a better state.

 

[Gladeskat]

He gets a scholarship. Decides he doesn't like football anymore. Quits football and still receives a $50K a year scholarship?

Seriously?

 

[thewildcat2011]

He gets a scholarship. Decides he doesn't like football anymore. Quits football and still receives a $50K a year scholarship?

Seriously?

It's pretty clear that the reality is a little deeper than "decides he doesn't like football anymore." He got a medical waiver from the NCAA and alluded to suffering from mental health issues. Clearly, he's not quite ready to go into full details on it yet.

 

[realcatfan]

He gets a scholarship. Decides he doesn't like football anymore. Quits football and still receives a $50K a year scholarship?

Seriously?

And he calls that "a job." Haven't heard of too many jobs that pay you if you quit after two years.

I still support jack and the decisions that he made for his life. Because at the end of the day, it's his life. I just disagree with his statement that college football is a job.

 

[Gladeskat]

And he calls that "a job." Haven't heard of too many jobs that pay you if you quit after two years.

I still support jack and the decisions that he made for his life. Because at the end of the day, it's his life. I just disagree with his statement that college football is a job.

Football IS a job at a D1 school in the sense that so much of your time is regimented, urine tests, etc., and the time demands in-season are pretty high. But it's generally a fun job if you like to play football. Anyway, he signed up for this knowing the obligations and had some sense that it would be stressful, and the pay today is really good!

As I type this a certain Dire Straits tune is going through my head.

 

[willycat]

And he calls that "a job." Haven't heard of too many jobs that pay you if you quit after two years.

I still support jack and the decisions that he made for his life. Because at the end of the day, it's his life. I just disagree with his statement that college football is a job.[/Really caftan, you don't really believe that made up student- athlete stuff do you? Of course it's a JOB and requires much more then the normal 40 hour workweek so the university and the coaches reap the benefits( money).

 

[Gladeskat]

It's pretty clear that the reality is a little deeper than "decides he doesn't like football anymore." He got a medical waiver from the NCAA and alluded to suffering from mental health issues. Clearly, he's not quite ready to go into full details on it yet.

I was a basket case my freshman year, frustrated over my poor performance, injuries, fear of coaches' opinions of me being injured, struggling mightily with integral calculus, and other things. I was yelling out in my sleep and sleep walking all the time. It freaked out my roommate. But if I quit football (which never occurred to me), I wouldn't expect to continue on scholarship. I'm glad he's happier now. Why wouldn't he be?

 

[techtim72]

In today's NCAA, I doubt they distinguish between mental and physical health issues brought on by football in determining waivers. How to weigh all that in the context of the pressures of college life is outside my skill set. I am surprised that there aren't more players with mental health issues - or perhaps we just don't hear about them - given the high incidence of mental health issues in the general population plus combining rigorous academics with D1 football.

 

[NUcats11]

I was a basket case my freshman year, frustrated over my poor performance, injuries, fear of coaches' opinions of me being injured, struggling mightily with integral calculus, and other things. I was yelling out in my sleep and sleep walking all the time. It freaked out my roommate. But if I quit football (which never occurred to me), I wouldn't expect to continue on scholarship. I'm glad he's happier now. Why wouldn't he be?

Great, that was your situation, but you don't know what his situation is. It's time to stop ostracizing mental health.

It's awesome that the staff retained his scholarship just like they would if he had a career ending injury, thus treating his mental health situation just like they would any other type of disease.

 

[EvanstonCat]

InsideNU has a great story up on why Jack Schwaba walked away from the team.

http://www.insidenu.com/2015/5/13/8595401/jack-schwaba-northwestern-wwe-mental-health-football

Good for him in figuring out what wasn't working and doing what was necessary to get to a better state.

I'm not sure I get it. He's too crazy to play college football, but not enough to wrestle for the WWE? Wait, I guess that kind of makes sense.

 

[MRCat95]

Great, that was your situation, but you don't know what his situation is. It's time to stop ostracizing mental health.

It's awesome that the staff retained his scholarship just like they would if he had a career ending injury, thus treating his mental health situation just like they would any other type of disease.

I'm not in the habit of defending Gladeskat, but how was he ostracizing mental health? About 20% of Americans suffer from mental health issues, and I presume that's probably about the same percentage of D1 football players that suffer from it (if not higher due to the heightened stresses of being a D1 football player that can exacerbate certain problems). However, 20% of D1 football players don't leave football for mental health issues. One way or the other, they either push through it or get treated or some combination of the two. Much like playing through physical pain can turn playing D1 football into a drag, I'm sure mental health issues can have the same impact. However, a person still gets to choose if it's worth enduring the physical pain or mental/emotional discomfort.

The article conflates mental health issues (perhaps anxiety and depression) with the inherent stresses of being a D1 football player (i.e., 5:30 AM winter workouts, academic stresses, travel schedules, etc.). A mentally healthy person is often going to feel stressed out playing D1 football at a school like NU, so I think the author did a disservice to Jack by describing the normal stresses of the sport in the context of Jack's situation if he is indeed suffering from mental health issues that were so severe that they made him unable (rather than just unwilling) to continue in the sport.

When describing the challenges of being a D1 football player, Jack sounds like pretty much any mentally healthy person that's ever played the sport. These are all good reasons for the mentally healthy (or those mentally unhealthy) not to play big time college football. "At the same time I also knew I'd never have to go through hours and hours of meetings," he says. "I'll never have to do the week at Kenosha again. I'll never have to be away from my family for Christmas or Thanksgiving. Of course, I do miss playing the actual game of football. But there are very strenuous things about playing Division I football that I frankly do not miss."

 

[MRCat95]

And he calls that "a job." Haven't heard of too many jobs that pay you if you quit after two years. I still support jack and the decisions that he made for his life. Because at the end of the day, it's his life. I just disagree with his statement that college football is a job.

Had he merely quit without getting a medical hardship from the NCAA, he would have lost his scholarship (or Fitz presumably could have let him keep it and just counted the scholarship against his 85 limit, which would not have allowed him to recruit another player for several years). The medical hardship is akin to workman's compensation.

In my opinion, playing division one college football is very much a job where significant financial consideration is given in exchange for labor in an enterprise. (Don't get me started on unions as they're still a terrible idea in college sports even if being a D1 athlete very much is a FULL TIME job.)

 

[Alaskawildkat]

In the end I have no problem with a player who leaves an athletic program, after being admitted to Northwestern, being allowed to continue on with a scholarship. Northwestern has had a broad policy for all admitted students to see that they have the financial aid available to make it through NU. Admittedly the athletic scholarship recipient will likely have a higher grant to loan ratio.

 

[TheC]

The article conflates mental health issues (perhaps anxiety and depression) with the inherent stresses of being a D1 football player (i.e., 5:30 AM winter workouts, academic stresses, travel schedules, etc.). A mentally healthy person is often going to feel stressed out playing D1 football at a school like NU, so I think the author did a disservice to Jack by describing the normal stresses of the sport in the context of Jack's situation if he is indeed suffering from mental health issues that were so severe that they made him unable (rather than just unwilling) to continue in the sport.

Not sure why this is conflating. A person with mental health issues such as anxiety or depression have an even harder time with the normal day-to-day stresses. In fact, the quote you use from the student-athlete gives you some insight. Its often not the activity that is so difficult, but rather thinking about the activity. Removing that pressure sometimes gives them the space to try and cope with the overall mental health issue.

 

[Gladeskat]

I'm not in the habit of defending Gladeskat, but how was he ostracizing mental health? About 20% of Americans suffer from mental health issues, and I presume that's probably about the same percentage of D1 football players that suffer from it (if not higher due to the heightened stresses of being a D1 football player that can exacerbate certain problems). However, 20% of D1 football players don't leave football for mental health issues. One way or the other, they either push through it or get treated or some combination of the two. Much like playing through physical pain can turn playing D1 football into a drag, I'm sure mental health issues can have the same impact. However, a person still gets to choose if it's worth enduring the physical pain or mental/emotional discomfort.

The article conflates mental health issues (perhaps anxiety and depression) with the inherent stresses of being a D1 football player (i.e., 5:30 AM winter workouts, academic stresses, travel schedules, etc.). A mentally healthy person is often going to feel stressed out playing D1 football at a school like NU, so I think the author did a disservice to Jack by describing the normal stresses of the sport in the context of Jack's situation if he is indeed suffering from mental health issues that were so severe that they made him unable (rather than just unwilling) to continue in the sport.

When describing the challenges of being a D1 football player, Jack sounds like pretty much any mentally healthy person that's ever played the sport. These are all good reasons for the mentally healthy (or those mentally unhealthy) not to play big time college football. "At the same time I also knew I'd never have to go through hours and hours of meetings," he says. "I'll never have to do the week at Kenosha again. I'll never have to be away from my family for Christmas or Thanksgiving. Of course, I do miss playing the actual game of football. But there are very strenuous things about playing Division I football that I frankly do not miss."

That's what I was getting at. Thank's MRCat95 for clarifying the point I was addressing in poor fashion. The author does do JS a great disservice in this article, though I realize JS might not want to share his symptoms with the public.

Also, the article doesn't mention any work he is doing for the athletic department as a medical redshirt. If you cannot pay for legitimate health reasons (and extreme anxiety or depression is a legitimate reason), you can still help out around the athletic department. The University is paying $60K a year for you to get an education, one would think that that person should be willing to work part time for the school. The article creates the impression he's just playing pro wrestling on NU's dime.

 

[Gladeskat]

Not sure why this is conflating. A person with mental health issues such as anxiety or depression have an even harder time with the normal day-to-day stresses. In fact, the quote you use from the student-athlete gives you some insight. Its often not the activity that is so difficult, but rather thinking about the activity. Removing that pressure sometimes gives them the space to try and cope with the overall mental health issue.

But this is true of what most people go through in a sport like football, particularly if you're not seeing any personal progress or playing time. The author should have better conveyed how his situation was particularly debilitating to his personal performance and happiness as a person rather than just mentioning the things that we all dread about a demanding sport.

 

[MRCat95]

Not sure why this is conflating. A person with mental health issues such as anxiety or depression have an even harder time with the normal day-to-day stresses. In fact, the quote you use from the student-athlete gives you some insight. Its often not the activity that is so difficult, but rather thinking about the activity. Removing that pressure sometimes gives them the space to try and cope with the overall mental health issue.

In this case, this activity (D1 football) IS really, really difficult physically, mentally and emotionally on a daily basis even if you're a fully healthy person, so it's somewhat rational to be in a perpetual funk thinking about and dreading tomorrow's practice (especially if it's not giving you any joy). My point is that you don't have to mentally ill to be overwhelmed by this grind. I spent the majority of my time (playing college football) with an overwhelming sense of anxiety and stress that immediately and magically disappeared the day after the Bowl game my senior year and stayed away through graduation in June. That January - June period my senior year of just being a normal college student going to classes, studying and having fun was and incredible contrast to the prior 3.5 years that had meaningful and often overwhelming daily stresses. I put up with it because there was enough of it that I loved to keep doing it (and not to mention some healthy fears over losing my scholarship if I were to stop doing it). To the extent that simply ending this daily grind removes (or significantly mitigates) the anxiety or depression, perhaps the problem was not clinical depression or anxiety, but rather that the activity is inherently anxiety-inducing to you and no longer delivers the periodic moments of joy sufficient to justify doing it.

As the old joke goes, "Hey Doctor, every time I move my arm around like this, it hurts. What's your recommendation?" The doctor replies, "Don't move your arm around like that."

I'm glad Jack is doing what he wants to do and is feeling better about things. However, he probably shouldn't have done the interview unless he planned on sharing a little more about his mental illness symptoms because it comes off a little like "Football is hard and gave me unhealthy anxiety, and I'm glad I don't have to do it anymore. Now NU is paying me to fart around as a professional wrestler." As someone who has experience with mental illness in my extended family, that's not what anxiety or depression really is.

I think the author of the article is likely at fault for portraying it this way and not Jack himself. (It sounds like Gladeskat had a similar reaction that I had to reading it.)

 

[NUCat320]

I'm glad Jack is doing what he wants to do and is feeling better about things. However, he probably shouldn't have done the interview unless he planned on sharing a little more about his mental illness symptoms because it comes off a little like "Football is hard and gave me unhealthy anxiety, and I'm glad I don't have to do it anymore. Now NU is paying me to fart around as a professional wrestler." As someone who has experience with mental illness in my extended family, that's not what anxiety or depression really is.

I think the author of the article is likely at fault for portraying it this way and not Jack himself. (It sounds like Gladeskat had a similar reaction that I had to reading it.)

That's kind of how I read it. "I was stressed so I stopped."

I would assume there's more to it than that - whether it be depression, or panic attacks - but it reads pretty simplistically as "football is all-consuming, and wrestling is less so."

I'm no psychiatrist, but my questions are (and, apologies if I'm being offensive here, I promise I'm not trying to be):
- "So, was there medication or other therapy involved?"
- "And is medication or other therapy still involved?"
- "Or, was football simply the trigger for significant anxiety and, football out of the picture, is all mostly well?"
- "And, if medication or other therapy is out of the picture, well, then, is he truly mentally unhealthy?"
- "And, if he's mostly well, without medication or other therapy, then should he remain on scholarship?"

It's courageous to be open about this stuff. It's courageous even to be partially open, but it it leads to more questions and makes Glades a bit grumpy.

I'm happy he's happy. I hope wrestling works out.

[This is also an excuse to link to America's greatest working rock band, The Mountain Goats, performing "Foreign Object", the second single from their professional wrestling-themed album, Beat the Champ, recently on Late Night with [NU-related] Seth Meyers.]
[Full disclosure: The album's pretty unsatisfying, but there are many worse things out there.]
http://www.nbc.com/late-night-with-...tain-goats-performance-foreign-object/2857402

 

[TheC]

In this case, this activity (D1 football) IS really, really difficult physically, mentally and emotionally on a daily basis even if you're a fully healthy person, so it's somewhat rational to be in a perpetual funk thinking about and dreading tomorrow's practice (especially if it's not giving you any joy). My point is that you don't have to mentally ill to be overwhelmed by this grind. I spent the majority of my time (playing college football) with an overwhelming sense of anxiety and stress that immediately and magically disappeared the day after the Bowl game my senior year and stayed away through graduation in June. That January - June period my senior year of just being a normal college student going to classes, studying and having fun was and incredible contrast to the prior 3.5 years that had meaningful and often overwhelming daily stresses. I put up with it because there was enough of it that I loved to keep doing it (and not to mention some healthy fears over losing my scholarship if I were to stop doing it). To the extent that simply ending this daily grind removes (or significantly mitigates) the anxiety or depression, perhaps the problem was not clinical depression or anxiety, but rather that the activity is inherently anxiety-inducing to you and no longer delivers the periodic moments of joy sufficient to justify doing it.

As the old joke goes, "Hey Doctor, every time I move my arm around like this, it hurts. What's your recommendation?" The doctor replies, "Don't move your arm around like that."

I'm glad Jack is doing what he wants to do and is feeling better about things. However, he probably shouldn't have done the interview unless he planned on sharing a little more about his mental illness symptoms because it comes off a little like "Football is hard and gave me unhealthy anxiety, and I'm glad I don't have to do it anymore. Now NU is paying me to fart around as a professional wrestler." As someone who has experience with mental illness in my extended family, that's not what anxiety or depression really is.

I think the author of the article is likely at fault for portraying it this way and not Jack himself. (It sounds like Gladeskat had a similar reaction that I had to reading it.)

OK, I get your point now.