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Terry Bradshaw wants men to know they aren’t alone.
The FOX Sports analyst and four-time Super Bowl champion told “Fox & Friends” that “Looking for Terry: A Memoir” was a hard sell to his publisher because it isn’t about football. Instead, Bradshaw decided to open up about his longtime battle with depression.
“I haven’t been public with it as much, that’s why I came out with this book,” the Pittsburgh Steelers legend said during his Oct. 14 interview.
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Clay Matthews, left, and Aaron Rodgers celebrate at the trophy presentation with Terry Bradshaw at right, at the end of Super Bowl XLV where the Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, February 6, 2011. (David Eulitt/Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
On the surface, Bradshaw exudes a cheerful demeanor, which he said might surprise those he opens up to about his mental health struggles. He’s had a prolific career both in the NFL and as a television sports analyst, and has built a reputation as a “tough guy.”
“People think, well, if you’re dealing with depression — I’m not dealing with depression right now,” Bradshaw said.
The Hall of Fame quarterback said depression often “rears its ugly head,” but he stresses that it doesn’t rob him of his personality. Bradshaw describes it as a sickening feeling that comes over him at times and is challenging to snap out of.
In “Looking for Terry,” he wants readers, especially men, to be more vulnerable about their emotional struggles.
Women might be more likely to get help, he said, but men often turn instead to “a few drinks and some drugs.”
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One of Bradshaw’s most challenging bouts with depression came during the 1999 Super Bowl in Miami, where he was working as a broadcaster. He told Fox News co-host Brian Kilmeade that he couldn’t get out of bed.
He said his depression can emerge like a “demon in the night” during times of stress, family issues or when he is tired.
Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke speaks to Terry Bradshaw while holding the George Halas Trophy after defeating the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game at SoFi Stadium on January 30, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Today, he has someone to lean on in his wife, Tammy. She even has a name for his depression: Roy.
“She says to me, ‘Is Roy showing his ugly head?’” he explained. “I say yeah, and then we start talking about it, and I’m telling you, it’s like the greatest gift in the world just to have someone you can share that with.”
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Fox Sports host and former NFL quarterback Terry Bradshaw looks on prior to Super Bowl LIV between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
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Readers of “Looking for Terry: A Memoir” will get a glimpse of an “ordinary guy who’s had an extraordinary run,” not a “highlight reel,” he said. Above all, Bradshaw doesn’t want people to feel sorry for him.