Cleveland Browns: Chris Hubbard discusses mental health importance with Jim Rome

Chris Hubbard has never been shy about the importance of taking care of your mental health and the Cleveland Browns veteran spoke on this again with Jim Rome recently

Cleveland Browns fans love Chris Hubbard for his versatility and selflessness on the field. However, there’s even more to love about him off the field.

Hubbard has long been an advocate for the importance of mental health and he recently joined Jim Rome to discuss the topic. Rome started things off by saying that Hubbard had to work on not only the physical recovery from a severe knee injury but also keep his mind right.

He then said Hubbard recently spoke at a luncheon of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Summit and asked the veteran lineman to elaborate on that.

Hubbard said he wanted to show people he was vulnerable and to send the message “you’re not alone.” He stated that when people see athletes, they might not know that they too struggle with mental well-being. He believed showing his vulnerable side would help kids who needed to know it’s okay to open up and have conversations with their loved ones.

Hubbard said knowing that he could help others with his story made it “easy” to come out and share how he struggled.

This was also not the first time Hubbard discussed his struggles. In an article from Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal back in March, Hubbard shared how the loss of his grandfather and the murder of a very close cousin sent him into a depression.

He said things got worse when he went undrafted after initially being told he should be a fourth-round pick. He said one way he coped was being alone and turning to alcohol.

"“I had hard times where I would drink. I would drink and be in a dark room and not want to come out.” – Hubbard via Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal"

Hubbard finally decided to try therapy and has since been an advocate stating that people need to be free to open up.

Cleveland could use Hubbard this season on their offensive line but even if he doesn’t take a snap for them, he’s still a valuable leader who should be admired.