Lionel Aldridge --The Man Behind the Ball
- Melinda Nguyen
- Jan 9, 2024
- 1 min read
Updated: Jun 2, 2024
Sometimes you have to get lost before you can be found again. This is to be said with the Green Bay Packers player, Lionel Aldridge.
Born on February 14, 1941, the 6''3, 225 lb --"All Pro"-- was drafted by the NFL in 1963. He played for the Packers and had an impressive 11 year long career.
After having retired in 1973, Aldridge became an analyst for the Packers.
This is when his symptoms started showing.
He showed symptoms of schizophrenia. He would experience mood swings and, at one instance, according to one of his colleagues, just stare at a part of a football field, never taking his eyes off the grass.
His situation grew worse. His relationship with his wife and two daughters crumbled. He left home and went on an unruly cross-country trip and eventually ended up homeless.
Sometimes you have to get lost before you can be found again.
Eventually, he found his way home again and reconnected with old friends. He, stubbornly, got admitted into a hospital, where he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and given medication.
He recovered with a lot of help.
He died in February 12th 1998, at the age of 56, due to heart failure.
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