The young wide receiver says he missed spring ball while checked into a hospital to treat depression and anxiety.
Washington receiver Isaiah Renfro, revealing he has been “in a dark place” while coping with depression and anxiety, announced he is leaving the Huskies football program.
In a lengthy Twitter post Sunday afternoon, Renfro wrote that he missed spring football in April because he was getting treatment for his depression.
“I was in a special program for people like me, that taught me how to cope with my problems and what to do when I hit my lowest of lows,” he wrote.
Renfro appeared in all 13 games for the Huskies as a true freshman last fall. The 6-foot-1, 206-pounder from Los Angeles finished the season with 13 catches for 178 yards. He was a four-star recruit coming out of Sierra Canyon High School.
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He missed most of UW’s spring practices with what coach Chris Petersen described then as personal issues.
“This year has to be one of the toughest times I’ve had to endure in my life,” he wrote. “While going through this year I have struggled with and have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Everyday it’s very hard for me to just do a simple thing like get myself out of bed in the morning. This entire year I pushed through and gave it my all, till I had none left. …
“I lost love for the game I’ve been playing ever since I could walk, and it seemed more like a job to me than fun.”
He wrote that he is getting better.
“I didn’t know how bad I got until it was almost too late,” he wrote. “But coming out of the hospital, I have a better outlook on life, I’m more and more happy each day I wake up, because I’m able to wake up. I feel that for me to continue my process of getting healthy again I need to step away from the game of football. I will no longer be playing football and will no longer be attending UW. I want to thank Coach Pete, Coach Bush (Hamdan) and all the rest of the coaches and staff, for the opportunity and for the continued support. I also want to thank my teammates for allowing me to be part of the brotherhood that is the football team. And for all the dawg fans out there for making me feel like I was worth something every time I put on that jersey and stepped on the field.
“This isn’t the end of me, just the end of a certain chapter,” he continued. “I will conquer this, and not let this situation conquer me. I’m on a journey to find my happiness again.”