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Over the last few years, many athletes have begun opening up about their struggles with mental health. There are some who feel athletes playing at the highest level making so much money couldn’t possibly have these kinds of issues, but that simply isn’t the case and someone who is sharing his story is Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs.
Prior to the Super Bowl Hobbs took part in a panel with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Southern Nevada. Taking place at Pearson Community Center in Las Vegas, Hobbs opened up on his struggles and admitted it’s still tough for him to open up about these things via Levi Edwards of Raiders.com:
“The fact that I’m able to sit in front of plethora of people and tell them about my emotions, that gives me strength,” Hobbs said. “I’m willing to put myself out there and still live life. My mom used to always tell me, ‘Sometimes you just have to do things scared.’”
Hobbs spoke about dealing with the same anxiety issues and day-to-day pressures that everyone else does. The Raiders cornerback revealed that his anxiety issues likely stemmed from the death of his father when he was young, but has recently made it a priority to address his mental health regularly:
“Everybody deals with mental health, me and you, no matter how well you had it,” said Hobbs. “Some people deal with it more than others, some people need real help. If I can be that voice, I will.”
It takes a lot of strength to be vulnerable to this level and Hobbs is showing a lot of courage in telling his story and inspiring others not to be afraid to talk about and deal with these things, and get help when needed.
The Raiders cornerback stressed the need for everyone to simply trust and believe in themselves no matter what their dreams are:
“I couldn’t see this far,” he said in closing in front of an inspired crowd. “Growing up, I saw the NFL on TV and that’s about it. It’s not that I didn’t believe in myself, I just didn’t think I would have the opportunity to see myself in that way. So, if you just trust yourself and have faith and courage in yourself in whatever you’re doing, especially with your mental health, and seeing yourself on the other side – the sky is the limit.”
Hobbs is coming off the best season of his career, posting career-highs in tackles, tackles for loss and passes defended and looks to be one of the building blocks for a promising Raiders defense.
Maxx Crosby promises Raiders will play in big playoff games
Nate Hobbs is certainly a keeper on the defensive end, but the main pillar is undoubtedly Maxx Crosby. The defensive end was a second-team All-Pro selection, but he is far more focused on team success and getting the Raiders back into the postseason.
While watching the playoffs Crosby took to social media to express his desire for the Raiders to be in these big playoff settings and promised that it would happen soon.
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