Steve Young: Mental Health

5/31/22

Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young constantly came through when the pressure was high. Steve Young’s accolades surpass some of the most celebrated NFL. Some of his accomplishments include winning three Super Bowls, being a two-time NFL MVP, 1992 offensive player of the year, a three-time first-team All-Pro, a three-time second-team All-Pro, led in multiple stats in over 10 seasons, and was selected to 7 pro bowls. Most impressively, however, Steve Young’s production in the NFL was all done while battling mental health struggles.

Young masked his anxiety from a young age. He shared his mental health experience on stage at Menlo Park California at a charity banquet. He recounted up until the second grade, he required his mother to walk him to classes because of his separation anxiety. In his teen years, when friends would ask him to stay the night, he would use morning football practices as an excuse to not go. On one occasion when the Young parents vacationed without the kids for the weekend. His separation anxiety caused him so act irrationally, plotting a scare to have his parents return. He convinced his younger siblings that the babysitter was a dangerous murderer, causing commotion and drawing Sherry and Grit Young back home to the kids. 

The event he spoke at was for the non-profit organization Child Mind Institute. Young chose to speak about mental health to raise awareness across football and to the general public. Other former teammates including Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, and Harris Barton were in attendance.

Young explained how his outer image as an academically high achieving and triple sport captain masked his problems to the world, “All I knew was that I didn’t sleep over at other people’s houses. I had straight A’s, I didn’t miss a day of school, and I was captain of three sports. I mean, if you knew me back then you’d say, ‘That kid’s killin’ it.’ Because I was killing it. But if you said, ‘Hey, wanna sleep over at my house?’ The answer was: ‘It isn’t happening.’”

This phenomenon continued throughout his NFL career as he further struggled with performance anxiety. In his memoir, "QB: My Life Behind the Spiral,” he described in detail his firsthand mental battles. Coming off of an MVP season in 1992, despite claiming to have incredible confidence in his ability he described having countless difficulties, “I tossed and turned all night. I was still awake at dawn. Panic set in. My body craved sleep, but my mind wouldn't wind down. I closed the curtains, pulled a pillow over my head, and finally dozed off. But the slightest flinch woke me.” He experienced stomach pains and felt the brunt of compiling injuries. Young felt the pressure of replacing the historically successful Joe Montana as the 49ers quarterback. His state of mind was worsened by the fact the 49ers had just lost to the at the time much weaker team – the Cleveland Browns. 

He described the feelings of experiencing anxiety attacks, “My outlook was perplexing. On the one hand, I had incredible confidence in my ability as a quarterback. I was the MVP of the league. Yet I felt tethered to a ball and chain. I was the quarterback of a Super Bowl-caliber team. I knew what had to be done. But in the second week of the regular season, I already felt the heaviness of anxiety.” His experience speaks to the ineffably complex dilemmas and back-and-forth battles anxiety causes in its victims. 

The rest of his book more deeply dives into the debilitating effects anxiety had on Young’s career. By opening up and making his experiences known, Young is advancing how mental health is viewed. In all levels of football, mental health is not addressed or accounted for enough. The tough and unforgiving nature of the game leaves many players fighting personal mental battles off the field. Young’s story combined with his high levels of achievement paved a path for football players and youth struggling with mental health to feel less alone while living with anxiety.

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Works Cited

Brown, Daniel. “49ers Great Steve Young Opens up on Mental Health and His Struggles with Anxiety.” The New York Times, 12 May 2022, www.nytimes.com/athletic/3302936/2022/05/12/49ers-steve-young-anxiety-nfl/.

Young, Steve. ““What’s Wrong with Me?” How San Francisco QB Steve Young Played through Anxiety - NFL - ESPN.” ESPN.com, ESPN, 15 Oct. 2016, www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/17787665/wrong-how-san-francisco-qb-steve-young-played-anxiety-nfl.