Mental health has been a hot topic of late following Naomi Osaka’s departure from the French Open, which came after the tennis star was fined $15,000 for declining to address the media after her opening-round victory over Patricia Maria Tig. The four-time Grand Slam champion has since issued several responses on social media, citing her battles with anxiety and depression (which began in 2018) as the reason for ducking out on her mandatory press obligations. In discussing the situation Tuesday on First Take, Stephen A. Smith expressed his sympathy for Osaka, acknowledging his own struggles with depression following his mother’s death in 2017.
“I think it’s incredibly important that we support her and we support the millions upon millions of people who go through what she’s going through right now,” said the longtime ESPN personality. “Anxiety wasn’t my issue, but of course I was devastatingly depressed. I was in therapy for three years, because that’s how devastated I had been.”
Speaking on the fourth anniversary of his mother’s passing, Smith admitted he didn’t want to be working Tuesday, but knew he had a job to do. “I’ll never get over it. I’ll never be the same,” shared Stephen A., still grieving from the loss of his mother, who had been battling cancer. “But acknowledging what my issue was and going to seek help helped me to be able to come on national television and articulate positions like this. Because before, I didn’t get it. I didn’t know.”
Athletes have been much more open about their mental health in recent years with stars like Osaka and Kevin Love opening up about panic attacks, depression, anxiety and the benefits of seeking therapy. LaMarcus Aldridge, who retired from the NBA due to a heart condition earlier this year, has been similarly vocal on this subject, detailing the challenges he’s faced, both mentally and physically, in his post-playing career.
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