Isaiah Wilson pens emotional message about derailed rookie season: 'I lost myself'

Isaiah Wilson, a former second team All-SEC offensive tackle for the Georgia Bulldogs, worked out with the Indianapolis Colts this week, his first workout since being released by the Miami Dolphins this offseason. Shortly after the news broke of Wilson’s NFL comeback attempt, the offensive tackle penned a lengthy, emotional message on his Instagram, in which he says he’s “not asking for forgiveness, but hoping for a second chance.”

“Dear World, Some of you may know me as GG, some of you may know me as Panda, even some of you know me as the biggest bust in NFL history. Today I write to you as Isaiah Wilson. Before the fame and the glamour, I was just a kid trying to make history as the best player out of New York City,” Wilson wrote, in part. “I was the hope for my hood. As time went on and success came my way I struggled deeply with trying to prove who I was to every one counting on my wins. I lost myself. I lost my mental. I lost my ability to love. I lost it all.”

Wilson was selected in the first round, with the 29th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. He appeared in just one game for the Titans, logging four total snaps, in a year that was otherwise plagued by off-field conflicts.

“When I lost, seemingly everyone who once was in my corner was gone,” Wilson continued. “The ones that have remained, I love you. Today I write to you as Isaiah Wilson, not asking for forgiveness, but hoping for a second chance. With the time I’ve had away from the game I learned so much about who I am as a human. I finally love myself and it feels incredible. I now am ready to step back on that field with pride , integrity, and passion. Thank you to everyone who hasn’t left my side, I’ll never forget you and to the ones who ran away, I forgive you. I’m back and better than ever. Let’s go!”

Wilson’s off-field issues consumed much of his rookie season in Tennessee, and that began before even his rookie season.

First, in July — during training camp — Wilson was placed on the COVID-`19 reserve list while vying for the starting right tackle position. Weeks later, in mid-August, Tennessee State University police issued a trespassing warning to Wilson, after they breaking up an on-campus party; the Titans said they handled the issue internally. Come September, Wilson was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list for a second time. And a week later, he was arrested for DUI and later released on bond. His rookie season ended in early December, when the Titans suspended Wilson for a violation of team rules, just a week and change after making his NFL debut — a game in which he appeared for just four snaps.

Wilson was arrested once more in January of 2021, prompting the Titans to move on from their first-round draft selection, despite him appearing in a Titans uniform for just four snaps.

“I’m done with football as a Titan,” Wilson, 22, posted in a since-deleted tweet shortly before the trade went through. “No further comments.”

The Titans dealt Wilson to the Miami Dolphins for pennies on the dollar: after selecting him in the first round and signing him to a sizable rookie contract, the Titans traded Wilson and a 2022 seventh-round pick for a 2021 seventh-round pick. Within the first three days of his time in Miami, the Miami Herald reported that Wilson was late to a team orientation, skipped two optional workouts to which he committed, then posted a slew of videos on social media, including one that shows Wilson dancing on a car. Wilson was then cut by the Miami Dolphins just three days after he landed with the franchise.

Wilson, a native of Brooklyn, New York, was a five-star tackle out of Poly Prep, and he committed to the University of Georgia as a top-five ranked tackle in the Class of 2017 and a top-20 recruit in the entire class.