Sometimes, college athletes have to put their mental health ahead of their sport. This week, Texas A&M Football fans learned that the hard way.
In bittersweet news, Devin Morris, a redshirt junior defensive back, announced that he would be retiring from football. This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, as Morris is a guy who has struggled with his mental health for a long time.
In the spring, Morris announced that he would be taking a break from football. This must have paid dividends for his mental health, as he took the next step recently in officially retiring from the game.
The Texas A&M Football team will have to move on without a leader in Devin Morris
On paper, this won’t look like a huge loss for an Aggie Football team that has more talent than most other college football teams in the country. That said, Morris was a huge locker room guy that will be missed.
Morris came into College Station as a 3-star recruit out of Caldwell, Texas. He wasn’t the most sought-after guy in football but clearly, he was doing something right, as he earned an offer to come play in Aggieland.
The 6-1, 192-pound defensive back never earned a ton of playing time, but saw the field consistently over the past couple of seasons. This translated to 37 total tackles, 2 sacks, an interception, and 4 pass deflections.
You can say what you want about his relatively low ceiling but the Aggie defensive back was improving from year-to-year. That said, his mental health should always come first. With a degree under his belt, he’ll look to find a more suitable path for himself in the future.
He announced his retirement via Twitter, where he had a concise note regarding his future with the program. Here is a small exerpt from that announcement:
"“I am going to continue to build myself spiritually and with the platform I have continue to spread awareness of mental health. No matter what I set out to do in life I will attack it and be the best I can be in whatever I plan to do.”"
Morris also mentions all of the work that his teammates, coaches, and staff have put in to create something big for the Texas A&M Football team, mentioning bringing home a College Football Playoff National Championship in the upcoming season or two.
As fans, it’s hard not to root for Morris in the future, as he is one of the better-character players on the football team. His story won’t end here, so keep an eye on the former defensive back to make some waves in the world of mental health.