Former Steelers linebacker Vince Williams is opening up about retirement and the depression he felt after.
Williams was released during last year’s offseason, but later re-signed with the team, only to announce his retirement on the day the player’s reported to Training Camp at Heinz Field last year.
Williams said he came back but when he did it was “different.”
“I was a little older, you know it was harder, you get a little up in age,” said Williams to Arthur Moats on his show The Arthur Moats Experience. “You’re body starts hurting, I had torn my quad muscle earlier that season, in the second Browns game and I played with a torn quad and I played with a torn quad in the playoff game.”
Williams adds that getting cut and then taking a pay cut, “really took all the air out of my sails.”
“I really felt like the organization wanted to move forward with Robert Spillane and Devin Bush, which they should, those guys are young guys, and I never wanted to be one of those spiteful vets,” said Williams.
After that, Williams said he fell into a “deep depression.”
“Mostly because I felt like I was still the most talented and productive middle linebacker on the team,” said Moats. “I’m pretty sure every guy feels that way . . . I had a sense of uselessness.”
Moats added that feeling was a first for him because he’s never known anything else in the game of football.
“When you start feeling like that, you can’t produce.”
While he’s used prayer and meditation, Williams says he doesn’t think it’s something he will completely get over.
Williams was drafted in the sixth round of the 2013 draft and played all eight years with the Steelers
In 2020, he had 70 total tackles and had three sacks in 2020 at interior linebacker.