In a conversation with the Daily News Eagles pro bowl G Shawn Andrews said that a long battle with depression has kept him away from football.
Shawn Andrews says not to believe any of the salacious rumors about his absence from the Eagles. Don't even believe the more mundane "speculation that I just don't want to go to camp," Andrews said in a phone conversation with the Daily News from his home in Arkansas Monday afternoon.
"I'm willing to admit that I've been going through a very bad time with depression," the Eagles' two-time Pro Bowl right guard said. "I've finally decided to get professional help. It's not something that blossomed up overnight. I'm on medication, trying to get better."
Andrews didn't want to go into the origins of his depression, which he said began a little more than a year ago and steadily worsened. "I really was kind of at my end," he said. "I've really had a lot on my mind, really (been) contemplating a lot of things."
Anyone who has been through such struggles knows the symptoms he is dealing with -- a frantic, anxious feeling, inability to sleep or concentrate.
"In the state that I'm in, (had he reported), I would be at training camp physically, but mentally, I could have gotten myself hurt or gotten one of my teammates hurt," Andrews said. "But I have a meeting with my doc on Thursday, and hopefully, I'll be up that way on Friday."
The Daily News promises a major feature on Andrews and the story tommorow. I feel bad for Shawn, but at the same time he could have avoided a lot of the ill will and frustration on the part of fans and the team if he had simply let us all know what was going on in the first place.
If he is back by this weekend and has his head in shape... it can only mean good things going forward.