Stephen A. Smith took a serious tone when he revealed a time when he dealt with his own mental health struggles.
On “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” the host discussed Dak Prescott and his change in tone in how he plans to approach his criticism of the Cowboys quarterback.
Smith also discussed Prescott’s openness about mental health struggles, which is when the ESPN “First Take” personality revealed that, he too, dealt with mental health struggles.
Smith said things were especially difficult after the loss of his mother, Janice.
“If I’m being totally honest, I know the feeling,” Smith said during his show before going into how the passing of his mother on June 1, 2017, impacted him.
“That was the day I lost the greatest woman I’ve ever known. I lost the greatest human being I’ve ever known,” he continued. “I never thought about killing myself, but for two years every single day at some moment in time I wished I was dead. That is how bad my life was without my mother.”
Smith added that he sought out the help of a therapist to deal with how alone he felt after his mother’s passing, especially since he was still single at the time.
“You know when it hit me? The moment the casket was lowering into the ground,” Smith said, starting to get emotional. “That is when it was over and I felt it was over and I wanted to die because she meant that much to me. And I knew that for the rest of my life, I would never have anyone like that again.”
Smith has made a name for himself with his boisterous takes on the day’s sporting news, but his story Wednesday presented a different side of Smith that doesn’t get highlighted as much while he’s on air.
Smith ended the roughly 13-minute segment by saying that he wasn’t going to root for the Cowboys but didn’t want Prescott to be at the forefront if they lose.
“I’ll call it like I see it. It’s big boy, big girl rules, but there’s a heightened level of sensitivity that has come with it,” he added.
Prescott opened up about his own struggles with mental health in 2020 following the death of his brother Jace.
Tuesday was World Mental Health Day, which aims to “raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health,” according to the World Health Organization.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.