The Chiefs Kingdom already knew the problems their running back, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, was facing at the start of this season. He has been pretty vocal about his struggles battling PTSD symptoms ever since an incident that occurred in 2018. However, the 25-year-old never truly gave his full story behind the incident that haunts him to this day. Playing with the LSU at that time, Clyde had to reiterate the same gory details before finding his home in Kansas City.
Catching up with former NFL safety Ryan Clark on The Pivot Podcast, Edwards-Helaire offered the backstory that led to him joining the Chiefs. Going through the draft process and the combine interviews, Clyde had to face a rough time finding an NFL franchise, “I literally interviewed with all 32 teams, and they all asked the same question. That 15 minutes on the clock was literally me telling a story reverse just going over the same things and going through my past traumas with every team.”
Although Edwards-Helaire didn’t have a great time talking with different NFL franchises, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid turned out to be a different proposition. When talking with then-Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, the coaching staff didn’t inform Reid about his condition. However, Reid reacted in a way that gave Clyde the best feeling he ever had, “what story are we talking about? He didn’t know at all. I mean, I literally looked at him in his eye the whole time, not even looking at anybody else in that room, and I remember telling him that, and he gave me one of the biggest hugs that I’ve had in a while.”
Well, Reid isn’t the only one who played a key role in helping Clyde through the recovery process. When the pandemic was going on, the Chiefs RB was just a rookie at that time. Having to isolate because of COVID-19 protocols could have made him feel lonely at times. However, Travis Kelce didn’t allow it, as he kept tabs on Clyde, “The only person..who reached out to make sure. I’m good. Text me on random days, was Travis.”
Even today, when Edwards-Helaire decided to open up on his struggles on The Pivot Podcast, Kelce retweeted the post, “GBC!! My good brotha for life! Y’all gotta tune into this one. One of the strongest men I know!” Anyone who doesn’t know what GBC stands for, it’s Good Brother Clyde. But those weren’t the only things that Clyde spoke about in this interview, as he gave further details on his journey.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire shares jarring details from LSU days
It was supposed to be just another day when then-LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire met with his best friend Jared Small. They were travelling to North Baton Rouge to sell a PlayStation to an 18-year-old named Kobe Johnson. However, things quickly spiraled out of control when Johnson pulled out a g– and pointed it at the head of Small as Clyde shared, “My only reaction was, either I’m about to watch my best friend lose his life or do something about it.” Well, the Chiefs RB was ahead of the situation as he, too, carried a firearm for safety reasons.
And Clyde ended up using it for a heroic act of self-defense, “The very first thing was, I don’t want my best friend dying. Second is, if that happens to him, what’s stopping the g– from coming towards me after the fact? And it being two of us gone for no reason.” Then-18-year-old Clyde pulled the trigger and got the situation in their control.
Now that six years have gone by, Clyde feels he could be saving lives by sharing his story, “I feel like I’m actually saving lives by talking about my situation and showing that you can wake up every morning and get through. I’m doing a lot better than I have been these past four years. Mentally, physically, everything is just on the up and up. I’d say I’m probably the healthiest I’ve been since I came into the league.”
Seeing Clyde slowly coming back to his usual life on the gridiron would surely make the Chiefs Kingdom feel proud of their running back. His struggles with PTSD should be a testament to everyone out there who is facing something similar in their life.
