With two taps to the head, former NBA star Darius Miles left his stamp on the game of basketball forever. As one of the few players to go straight to the league from high school, to hoops fans, D-Miles is a legend, whose contributions to the culture defined a generation. Toward the end of his NBA career, though, life off the court began to take a s…

In 2021, Nashville Predators prospect Luke Prokop came out as gay in a social media post, making him the first player under contract to an NHL team to do so. His announcement was received positively by family, friends, and teammates. But acceptance wasn’t a given. The year leading up to his announcement, Luke struggled under the immense pressure of…

When she was growing up, sports was the one place where Beth King felt in control. She played soccer at the collegiate level, but ultimately joined the military for her career. Deployed to Afghanistan, in 2011 she was riding in a helicopter that was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, leaving her with severe injuries to her spine and brain. A few mo…

Kaillie Humphries grew up in Calgary, Alberta, where the legacy of the 1988 Olympics brought her up close and personal to the sport of bobsledding. She dreamed of becoming an Olympian and would go on to win gold medals at the 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi Games. She was living out her dream … or so it seemed. Things changed under a new coach, and t…

​​Before Georges Laraque was a sports commentator and a political leader, he was a notorious enforcer in the NHL. He played that role well, but the truth is that he hated fighting. His childhood had been marked by his father’s abuse and by racism he experienced on the ice as he rose through the ranks in junior hockey. There was no place to seek ref…

On this episode of Blindsided, Dr. Diane asks Corey the questions. We learn about the complexities of OCD, what life was like before his diagnosis, and how difficult finding the right help was. For a long time, Corey was a prisoner of his own mind. Now, the chains have lifted and he’s found a meaningful path forward in his life living with OCD and …

For most of his racing career, Cody Ware kept his trauma hidden within the narrow confines of the race track. Behind the wheel of his Nurtec ODT Ford Mustang, he was focused and exhilarated, chasing his next checkered flag. But away from the track, he was struggling day to day. Back in high school, Cody was the victim of severe bullying, which esca…

Everson Griffen was an energetic force on the Vikings defensive line for 10 years, wreaking havoc against offensive linemen and getting to the ball any way he could. But off the field, he’d been running from something for a long time. Everson remembers struggling with his mental health since his days in college, knowing that something was wrong, bu…

To Eddie Kingston, the macho, no-B.S. character he plays as a pro wrestler is actually no character at all — it’s him, at 17 years old. Half-Puerto Rican and half-Irish, Eddie was a target of racism at school, and building a reputation as a neighborhood tough guy was how he dealt with it. Back then, the only thing that could quiet the noise was pop…

Sheldon Kennedy never dreamed of being a 20-year-old kid who would be in and out of psych wards. He never dreamed of being in a hospital on suicide watch, and he never dreamed of going through drug and alcohol treatment eight times. But that became his reality. From a young age, Sheldon was sexually abused by his junior hockey coach, Graham James, …

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome Helen Maroulis. She’s the first Olympic gold medalist ever for the U.S. in women’s wrestling. After reaching the pinnacle of her career at the 2016 Games in Rio, Helen suffered a concussion. The effects revealed themselves over time and, she says, changed her a lot — mentally and emotionally. But she was de…

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome professional golfer Bubba Watson. Bubba has won 12 times on the PGA Tour, including twice at The Masters, where he claimed the Green Jacket in 2012 and again in 2014. But few knew that during that time Bubba was struggling with anxiety. His new book, Up and Down: Victories and Struggles in the Course of Lif…

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome Kurt Warner. Kurt is a former NFL quarterback who won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams. And in 2017, Kurt was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But before all that … before the trip to Canton … before the 32,344 passing yards … before “The Greatest Show on Turf” … he stocked shelves at a loca…

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome Nate Boyer. Nate is a former long snapper for the University of Texas Longhorns, but he’s unlike any other football player you’ve ever met. Nate volunteered as a relief worker in Sudan, then enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served in both Iraq and Afghanistan as a Green Beret. And that’s all before he started …

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome Darryl Sydor. Darryl is the current co-owner of the Kamloops Blazers. Before that he was a defenseman in the National Hockey League. He won two Stanley Cups, the first with the Dallas Stars and the second with the Tampa Bay Lightning. But throughout his career Darryl struggled with body-image issues. He dev…

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome Kevin Love. Kevin is an NBA player for the Cleveland Cavaliers, with whom he won an NBA championship in 2016. He’s also one of the most prominent professional athletes to speak out about his mental struggles. His article, “Everyone is going through something” struck a chord in the sports community and beyon…

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome Taylor Townsend. Taylor has been a name in the tennis world for some time. She dominated in the junior division, achieving a Grand Slam in singles and a No. 1 world ranking. Then, at 15, she turned pro. But staying at the top was tough. Taylor opens up about depression, the journey to finding the right ther…

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome Paul Bissonnette. Paul is former NHL defenseman for the Phoenix Coyotes. He played in just about 200 games, but he’s one of the most well-known hockey players on the planet. He’s also a co-host of Spittin’ Chiclets. And while most know him for his loud, sometimes lewd, public persona ... there’s the Paul Bi…

On this episode of Blindsided, we welcome Julius Thomas. Julius is a former tight end for the Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins. Before the NFL, Julius was a basketball star at Portland State. But he believed he could play pro football. So he went for it. Most surprising, though, is what Julius is doing now. He retired from fo…

On our very first episode of Blindsided, we welcome Clint Malarchuk. Clint is a former National Hockey League goaltender for the Quebec Nordiques, Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres. Most people, however, remember Clint for sustaining one of the worst injuries in the history of sports. In 1989, he collided with a player in front of the net. A s…

Plan your work and work your plan. For many athletes, words like these are scripture— permanent signposts lining the long road to success. The very act of pursuing a career in sports often gives a sense of control, a sense of safety. Just stick to the plan. Good things will follow. That is, until life happens. The kind of life that happens while yo…

The police chief's first-hand account of what happened and how it unfolded, making ways for half-truth theories to seep in the narrative. A analysis of how local––and national––coverage sensationalized one particular theory and what impact it leaves.

This podcast is written and produced by me, Tran Nguyen. This podcast is a project for EMDA499, a class at Southern Oregon University. The music is written and produced by Bensound.