During his professional football career, Steve Young won Super Bowls, was recognized as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, and was named to Pro Football’s Hall of Fame.
Despite his success, the former BYU quarterback said he has long struggled with anxiety.
As a child, Young experienced separation anxiety so severe that he rarely left home at night. Sometimes before college games, he secretly wished the stadium would explode so he didn’t have to play. In the pros, he was known as a player who would vomit before each game.
“I’d hear my teammates whisper: ‘Has he thrown up yet? He plays great when he throws up,’” Young said.
Seated on the main stage during his keynote session at RootsTech, Young said his struggle with anxiety led him to embrace and appreciate a piece of wisdom from his grandfather: “Go through it, don’t go around it.”
“I’ve taken that to my heart, that no matter what I come in front of, it feels like it’s super hard, but I’m not going to go around it. Let’s go through it,” he said.
Visit the Church News to see what else Steve Young had to say.
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