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Veteran NFL Player Admits He Spent 48 Days In Mental Health Facility

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 3:05 PM ET

During the final five games of the 2024 NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts were without offensive tackle Braden Smith because of a personal matter.

Smith revealed in an interview with the Indianapolis Star that he spent 48 days in a treatment facility to address his obsessive-compulsive disorder. He said things got so rough that he contemplated suicide.

"I was physically present, but I was nowhere to be found," Smith told the Indianapolis Star. "I did not care about playing football. I didn't care about hanging out with my family, with my wife, with my newborn son. "I was a month away from putting a bullet through my brain."

After spending 48 days in a treatment facility, Smith underwent treatment with psychedelics. It turns out that led to him back to the gridiron.

Although he was unsure if he'd ever play football again, Smith returned to the Colts for the start of training camp and has reclaimed his place in the starting lineup.

"I was just trying to be alive this time this year," Smith said. "I wasn't thinking about anything. I just wanted to find joy in life and, for a while there, I didn't feel like I was ever going to find that again. So just being out here is just a plus for me."

Smith, a former second-round pick from Auburn, is entering the 2025 regular season with a new mindset.

"Last year, I was just kind of out there," Smith explained, via ESPN's Stephen Holder. "I was going through the motions, but I didn't feel like that. It was that edge that players have, I didn't have that last year. I didn't feel that last year. This year, instead of obsessing over other things, I can obsess about my craft and turn a negative into a positive."

Smith is currently on the final season of a four-year contract with the Colts. He hasn't decided how much longer he'll keep playing.

For now, Smith is just living in the moment.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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