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Willis McGahee played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Denver Broncos. But, his time in the league didn't come without injuries, and in 2013, he retired.
After hanging the cleats up, McGahee tried to play again. However, when no teams showed an interest, he felt completely lost in life and recently told The Athletic that he contemplated suicide:
“It crossed my mind a couple of times,” McGahee said. “When it’s gone, you really have nothing to fall back on. It’s just a lot coming at you, man, and it gets mentally tough.”
To put McGahee's injuries into perspective, he's suffered two torn hip flexors, torn knee ligaments, two “major” concussions, and a fractured tibia, among many others. His body was battered and bruised in the NFL and even to this day, the ex-RB is physically not well. Per The Athletic, a doctor told him he had the “body of a carpenter.”
The big problem is Willis McGahee has been denied benefits from the NFL Disability Plan. He's applied twice as he told The Athletic, but the league won't grant him the benefits. McGahee and his lawyer, along with nine ex-players, have filed a lawsuit against the NFL Disability Plan and the NFL Disability Board. The doctors reportedly never properly looked at his files and said he was physically able to work, which is very much not the case at 42 years old.
“It’s just a lot going on,” McGahee said. “And me being the athlete that I am, I just try to suck it up. But I’m tired of sucking it up because it’s killing me inside.”
McGahee put his body on the line every Sunday for 11 years. It's only right he's taken care of by the NFL.
