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Eagles Tackle Lane Johnson Speaks on
Mental Health at JFCS Event
Sasha Rogelberg | Staff Writer
Photos by Jordan Cassway
F or Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson, his
toughest opponent isn't the Cowboys or the
Chiefs. It's himself.

On the field, the All-Pro player has experienced the
highest highs of the sport, but off the field, Johnson has
struggled with depression and anxiety, which caused
him to sit out of three games in 2021.

Johnson shared his story of navigating mental health
issues at the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of
Greater Philadelphia’s Center Stage event for donors
on May 2.

“What I’m really trying to do with my story is to inspire
people, to inform people and to make it possibly better
for families, for parents and their children and make
it something that’s talked about more and, I feel like,
faced rather than feared,” Johnson said at the event.

Johnson, 33, has worn midnight green since 2013,
helping the team secure a Super Bowl victory in 2018.

He holds the NFL record for most consecutive games
without allowing a sack at 26 games. His accolades
don’t necessarily reflect his struggles.

Struggling with depression and anxiety while playing
on his high school football team in Groveton, Texas,
Johnson battled with perfectionism and the pressure
of playing at the top of his game in a town with a big
football culture. He was diagnosed with anxiety while
attending the University of Oklahoma.

Johnson injured his ankle at the end of 2018 and
underwent a minor procedure, but in 2020, he played
seven games before having to get surgery again.

Johnson noticed a dip in performance which triggered
intense anxiety: He couldn’t run as efficiently and didn’t
put full trust in his foot.

“When you excel at something, you have a sort of
standard to play at, and internally, when that’s not met,
it can create a lot of turmoil,” he said. “So that was what
was going on in my mind.”
Around the same time, he experienced tremendous
side effects after he stopped taking an antidepressant.

“What I was going through was severe withdrawal
effects,” he said. “Nausea, vomiting, tremors in my
hands and, really, the inability to focus or carry on
just really ordinary tasks. I felt like every day, it was a
challenge. ... I needed to really reassess my career.”
In 2021, Johnson took a break after a Week 3 loss
to the Cowboys and returned three games later. The
Eagles went 7-3 over the rest of the season.

Today, Johnson has a mental performance coach in
Lane Johnson speaks at the Jewish Family and
Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia’s Center
Stage event for major donors.

Brian Cain, who works with athletes in the NBA, NFL,
NHL, MLB and PGA. He learned to treat anxiety as a
motivator and performance tool.

“We all see anxiety as a negative, and it can be if
you let it take over your life,” Johnson said. “But as a
performer, [Cain] always says that anxiety is like a fire.

Fire could do wonders for us, keeping us alive, but
obviously, if it gets out of order, it can destroy your life.”
Recognizable as one of the players in a dog mask —
alongside then-defensive end Chris Long — ahead of
the 2018 Super Bowl, Johnson believes in the power
of the underdog. He’s spoken about his battle with
mental illness in depression treatment centers and on
Instagram. The best way to address mental health struggles is
to first acknowledge that they exist. Educating people
on the importance of mental health is the first step,
Johnson argued: “No conversation is too small.”
JFCS featured Johnson as part of their major donor
event focused this year on mental health to address a
“growing mental health crisis,” according to Christina
Comenos, counseling program director for JFCS of
Greater Philadelphia.

The event began with brief speeches by social
worker Michael Byrne, art therapist Kiarra Williams,
JFCS’ LGBTQ initiative program manager Galia Godel
and JFCS’ Parenting Education supervisor Lynette Ellis,
each representing a community JFCS helps to serve.

“Supporting the mental health of our clients is the
underpinning of everything we do here at JFCS –
whether providing food or financial assistance, referrals
for resources, adoption services and more,” Comenos
said. “Because mental health challenges can jeopar-
dize all other areas of life, there is no crisis or life transi-
tion where an individual’s mental health isn’t prioritized
by our social workers.”
JFCS works with older adults to address feelings
of isolation, death, illness, conflicts with children and
more, with a focus on positive aging. Their Mental
Health Network helps address barriers, such as costs,
clients may have in accessing mental health services.

JFCS’ youth programs work with young people strug-
gling with self-harm and suicidal ideation and can offer
free pediatric care for those at or below 250% of the
federal poverty guidelines.

“Mental health is a thread that runs through every-
thing that we do for the community we serve,” Comenos
said. ■
srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
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