Lions star David Montgomery reveals fantasy football managers played part in battle with suicidal thoughts

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery revealed he had to overcome dark thoughts after being overwhelmed with stress fantasy football managers contributed to. 

Montgomery made an appearance on Sports Illustrated’s "Fantasy Dirt" podcast and said his time as a rookie in 2019 with the Chicago Bears involved heavy stress and suicidal thoughts. 

Pressure and words from disgruntled fantasy managers who drafted Montgomery for their teams did not help.

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"When I was a rookie, I had a real, real stressful time in the league," Montgomery explained. 

"I was at a point where I would have this suicidal thought, and it was just a depressing and a scary year for me. And, unfortunately, fantasy, the people in fantasy were kind of helping. They were helping me kind of be aided to feeling that way. I was at a point where I was scared to live."

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Too many times we hear stories about how fantasy football managers or sports bettors actively reach out to athletes in various sports, adding to the pressure of performing. And, many times, those words, whether in person or through social media, contain explicit messaging. 

Montgomery said he had to break out of that mindset, and it was his nephew who helped him out. 

"I went through all of that stuff, and one person who saved my life was my nephew," he began. "I was in a situation to where I was this close to doing something that I knew I shouldn’t have done, that would have changed the trajectory of my life or changed the trajectory of everybody else around me in my life. 

"And my nephew called me, right when I was in the midst of doing so. And he didn’t say anything about football. He didn’t say anything about how fast I was. He just said, ‘Uncle Dave, I miss you. How are you doing?’ And my nephew, and it meant so much to me, because my nephew, he has leukemia.

"And I was in a very dark place, very very dark place. And from that point on, hearing my nephew’s voice, I made a vow to myself and a promise to myself that I would never, ever allow anybody else to have that much control over my mind, my body to make me feel like I wasn’t worth anything or valued in a light to where I had a purpose on this Earth."

Montgomery, who played four seasons with the Bears before signing with the Lions in free agency in 2023, said therapy has been a big help. 

"I got a really good therapist," he said. "I’ve been working with a therapist for five years now and being able to regulate and express my emotions and being able to allow myself to know that I am enough, you know, and I’ve been through a lot of things. I’ve been through a lot of places where people don’t even know who I am. But I get to create that perception for myself, to how I view myself and how my son views me. And, you know, I’m having the best time of my life. And I’m enjoying life for exactly what it is."

Montgomery’s shift to Detroit worked out well last season. He ran for 1,015 yards and 13 touchdowns in a scheme that involved dynamic rookie Jahmyr Gibbs. 

In four games this season, Montgomery has run for 271 yards on 63 carries with four touchdowns. 

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