“The goal is to be free”: Marcus Lattimore and Johnny Manziel discuss mental health amid unwavering success

Johnny Manziel, hosting Marcus Lattimore on the Glory Daze Podcast, discussed extensively about mental health difficulties that arise from success on the football field.

Manziel and Lattimore have dealt with significant mental health issues after their noteworthy success as college football players. It meant that they failed to live up to expectations on the professional stage.

“The goal is freedom,” Lattimore opened the conversation. “I'm trying to get free mentally.

"Being able to have a mental clarity and mental freedom in your head – of the happiness of freedom of what you define it to be,” Manziel said buttressing the point.

Marcus Lattimore went on to describe how he felt during his playing days and explained his failure to attain satisfaction in the midst of abundance.

“You hit it right there,” Lattimore said. “Like how can you enjoy worldly things if you don't have mental peace? They just end up becoming a trap. I didn't make a lot of money in the NFL, but I made more than I've ever had in my life. I had everything that I needed. I wasn't content.

“I was still chasing pleasure. I was still lust. I was still womanizing. I was still unsatisfied with who I was. I truly thought that was why I was put on earth, to be a football player. When you remove that identity, there's the sense of meaninglessness that comes in.”

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Marcus Lattimore discusses feeling "empty" while being inducted into the Hall of Fame

One of the major events Marcus Lattimore highlighted in his discussion with Johnny Manziel was his induction to the Hall of Fame in South Carolina.

It'sa great feat that should bring a lot of fulfillment, as he was celebrated, but Lattimore felt the opposite.

“When I was being honored is when it really hit me," Marcus Lattimore said. "Being inducted into the University of South Carolina Hall of Fame and it was the most empty day of my life. Reaching the mountain top but feeling so empty.

“It has nothing to do with accomplishment. It has nothing to do with awards. I wasn't living an honest life. If I achieve my dream, I equate that to joy. It wasn't as joyous as I thought it’d be.”

Mental health has become a serious issue for athletes beyond football. The discussion between Manziel and Lattimore gives insight on what athletes go through mentally amid success on the field.