At one point in time, former Penn State kicker Joey Julius was a national sensation. Unfortunately for him, while the public enjoyed playing up his size, it was his weight that forced him out of the game.

For every highlight that saw Joey Julius tackle someone, a commentator would make a comment about how he looked. This, rightfully, didn't sit well with a man who was battling those image demons outside the limelight.

“It was what I call my silent struggle,” Julius said over the summer. “I hated the way I looked always. I’ve never liked the way I looked, but I never talked about it until other people did. But I’m finally doing better now.”

That's all legit sad stuff. It is, and we should/could all feel a level of empathy for the guy.

There is some silver linings in this otherwise gloomy cloud. The former Penn State kicker is coming “home” to watch his former teammates face Michigan this weekend. Per the laws of 2017, he made the announcement on the mean streets of Twitter.

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https://twitter.com/joey_julius/status/919622666352562176

Julius, who would be a junior on this year’s team, handled kickoffs and place-kicking as a freshman in 2015 and just kickoffs in 2016. He averaged 62.1 yards with 45 touchbacks in 93 attempts last season. He was, honestly, objectively good at his job.

Here is to hoping that Julius is in a better state of mind and whatever is next for the guy is something that will make him happy. We should all just want each other to be happy, right?

Right.