During a recent interview on “The Pivot” podcast, former WWE Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson shared that he had “three bouts of depression” over the years.
“The first time depression hit me I was at the University of Miami. I came in. I was balling out. I was going to be the only freshman to play. And at that time we were national champions, defending national champions” – noting his excitement to fulfill his his dreams of playing in the NFL.
However, Johnson suffered a shoulder injury that ended his football career.
“That sent me in a tailspin…I didn’t want to go to school. I was ready to leave. I left school. I didn’t take any midterms, and I just left. But the interesting thing, at that time, is I just didn’t know what it was…I didn’t know what mental health was. I didn’t know what depression was. I just knew I didn’t want to be there. Wasn’t going to any of the team meetings. Wasn’t participating in anything.”
Johnson then turned to professional wrestling, following in the footsteps of his father, wrestler WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson.
“I always say me playing in the NFL wound up being the best thing that never happened to me. Because it really helped shape and inform who I am.”
However, that relief only comes from the benefit of hindsight, and Johnson further noted he faced other depressive episodes later in his life.
“At that time, it was a tough one for me, and again, I didn’t know what it was…years later, went through it again when I got a divorce, didn’t know what it was.”
Johnson said that eventually, he learned better how to cope and reach out for help when he needed it.
“Around 2017 or so, went through [it] a little bit but knew what it was at that time, and luckily at that time I had some friends I could lean on and say, ‘Hey, you know I feel a little wobbly now. I got a little struggle happening. I’m seeing the gray and not the blue.”
Johnson also spoke to the importance of friendship and having someone to count on.
“Having friends is so vitally important as you just get a little older because you lean on each other. You can open up. If you’re having a wobbly day, call me I’m there. Like that kind of stuff.”
More than anything though, Johnson credits his daughters, Simone Garcia Johnson (NXT Superstar Ava Raine), 21, Jasmine Johnson, 7, and Tiana Gia Johnson, 5.
“The saving grace for me has really been my daughters and being a girl dad...That’s been the saving grace because you look at them, and you realize, really this is what it’s all about. You look at the alternative to, how am I going to respond in this moment? What’s the best way that I can respond in this moment? Not now — they’re too young — but down the line, how I can help them. And this is how I responded to the moment, and hopefully this will help you guys as well...I’ve worked hard over the years to gain the emotional tools to work thru any mental pain that may come to test me. But years ago I didn’t know what mental health struggle was.
Johnson said that men, especially need to open up more.
“As men, we didn’t talk about it. We just kept our head down and worked thru it. Not healthy but it’s all we knew...If you’re going thru your own version of mental wellness turning into mental hell-ness, the most important thing you can do is talk to somebody…Having the courage to talk to someone is your superpower. I lost two friends to suicide. Talk to someone. Despite how you may feel, you’re never alone.”
Johnson got re-married in 2019, to actress Lauren Hashian, whom he first met, while filming The Game Plan back in 2006. He purchased the XFL in 2020 for $15 million, after the league went on hiatus and filed for bankruptcy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, there is help available 24/7, toll free at 866-629-4564. https://nationaldepressionhotline.org/
Source for this article, including the quotes: FOX News