Georgia quarterback JT Daniels creating ‘safe space’ for mental health

Georgia football coach Kirby Smart had high praise for his starting quarterback Saturday morning on ESPN’s College GameDay. Rather than focus on his on-field impact, Smart credited JT Daniels with making Georgia a “safe space” to talk about mental health.

“I was just proud of him, the fact that he was able to address it, confront it and be open about it,” Smart said during a live spot on GameDay. “I think he’s made it a safe space for a lot of players, and a lot of kids in our country right now, especially if you’re talking about the pressures of college football and they had the pandemic going on over the last year.

He continued: “A lot of guys went through really tough times during that time, and I thought he embraced that, he’s overcome it with the help of Drew (Brannon, a sports psychologist at UGA) and many other people in our organization. … JT has confronted it and he’s handled it, he’s been very open about it and I appreciate the way he’s handled it.”

Since Daniels went public with his metal health issues, at least two members of the Georgia program have stepped away from the team to handle personal issues. Smart has asked for the thoughts and prayers of the fanbase for transfer wide receiver Arik Gilbert and special teams coordinator Scott Cochran during their absence.

JT Daniels talks mental health

Georgia quarterback JT Daniels opened up about his mental health prior to the 2021 college football season. In a powerful conversation with Marty Smith and Ryan McGee of ESPN, Daniels mentions how he dealt with a difficult 2020, seeing a sports psychologist as he handled adversity.

“On a serious note, I learned a lot about myself, and I handled adversity that I haven’t handled before,” said Daniels. “My trajectory in high school was pretty much straight up … and I went to college and went straight down. I was a starter my freshman year, we went 5-7. I didn’t play too good. Next year, first game, I tear my ACL.

“The start of 2020 I end up in Georgia … I feel like I’m mentally ready but they say my knees not ready,” recalled Daniels. “I gotta keep battling and battling, I got an opportunity, and I think I did a good job taking it.”

He continued: “I learned a lot about myself in terms of handling adversity that I’ve never been faced with before,” said Daniels.