Winning the Super Bowl is often the pinnacle of a professional football player’s career that can keep an athlete on Cloud 9 for months afterward. But for former New York Giants punter Steve Weatherford, the experience was anything but.
Weatherford, who played for the Giants during the 2011-2014 and who was part of the Giants Super Bowl XLVI winning team, opened up about falling into a deep depression following the game in a candid Facebook post in which he described the aftereffects “one of the most depressing nights of my life” which he said he overcame through his religious faith.
“The game was in Indianapolis, just 47 miles from my hometown…My family, my parents, and my friends were all coming, and whoever couldn’t would be watching on TV, and I actually had the greatest game of my life,” Weatherford wrote.
“But after all the celebrations and parties were over, something came over me. I was sitting in my hotel room, and a deep wave of depression came over me. All the early mornings, all the years of hard work, all the sacrifice… and I didn’t feel different.
“I tried to fill the void inside of me with winning and success, but all it did was leave me feeling empty. That’s when I decided I couldn’t stay in the NFL much longer and needed to find a deeper sense of purpose.”
Weatherford began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Illinois in 2006, playing for the Saints. The 2011 season was his first as a Giant, whom he joined after two seasons with the Jets.
Weatherford performed so well for the Giants that following the 2011 season, he received the franchise tag, eventually signing a five-year, $12.75 million contract. However, he never saw the end of that contract as he was released on September 4, 2015.
Weatherford briefly returned to the Jets on October 24, 2015, when their regular punter, Ryan Quigley, was unable to play in their Week 7 game due to a leg injury. Weatherford lasted one game with the Jets that second time around before his NFL career came to a close for good.
These days, the father of six, who was once voted the fittest man in the NFL for his chiseled physique that once landed him on the cover of Muscle & Fitness, has dabbled in physical fitness, broadcasting, and his philanthropic work.
He has also found solace in his Christian faith, living with his family in Frisco, Texas, and in trying to help others who feel they have a void in their life and are trying to find their purpose.
“No amount of success or achievement can fill the God-sized hole in you,” Weatherford wrote. “It wasn’t until I got my life in order with God at the top that I was able to find a much deeper sense of purpose that energizes me every day.
“I could’ve stayed in the NFL, I could’ve continued growing my supplement business or been on TV but there is nothing that lights me up more than helping men live a life on purpose,” he wrote, offering readers a chance to contact him about a 90 Day Transformational Intensive based on his experience.”
