Ryan Day discusses his pride in Harry Miller's mental health initiative
Former Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Harry Miller recently announced his medical retirement from football. Miller released an eye-opening and lengthy statement at the time, citing mental health issues.
Miller said that he told Ohio State head coach Ryan Day of his intention to kill himself prior to last season. The Buckeyes sprung into action to get him care and treatment. Now, Miller is sharing a valuable and powerful message and trying to help those individuals across the world that could be fighting similar battles.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day shared his support for Miller and the work he’s put in to get to this point.
“First off, when I think about the whole situation, the thing that makes me most proud is the work that Harry did to get this point,” Day said. “He certainly where he is right now a year ago. He did the work. What we did is put structures in place to help him — and to help all of our players. Just like if somebody tears their ACL or sprains their ankle, they need physical therapy. There are guys who need some work in the mental area. That’s really what happened. He did the work. We just put the structure together.
“We’re still trying to figure [the next step] out and what that means for him. The fact that he retired from football is one thing. But he still wants to be part of the program and find a way to make an impact. We don’t need to make that decision right now. We’re going to give it a little time and try to figure out what that is. But he certainly has a lot to give.”
Under Day’s direction, Ohio State has a dedicated staff of psychologists to help players with mental health issues.
Miller shares his message on the TODAY Show
On Monday, Miller joined the TODAY show, where he had a heartfelt and emotional interview on his decision to retire.
“I guess I’ve always felt anxious and depressed,” Miller said. “Years passed – I felt good in high school. Got to college, and it’s just sort of difficult. You’ve got these young people being thrust under these bright lights. As a student-athlete, you play a game, it’s a hard game. Perhaps you made a mistake. People send you messages saying, ‘transfer, you suck.’ Some people get death threats that I know on the team. I’m trying to text my mom and that’s the first thing I see. And you can’t worry about it too much because you’ve got an exam the next day.
“You have that for weeks and months and by the end of the semester you’re saying, ‘what is happening right now?’ It just breaks my heart. When I was going through my therapy, I was seeing stories of Miss America’s and athletes all over the board. I just kept thinking, if somebody would just say something. I’m just really grateful that I was able to have received the care and love and affection that I did so that I could.”