Tackling ups and downs of football — and of life
An edited transcript of an interview with former 49er Charles Haley, author of the book “Fear No Evil: Tackling Quarterbacks and Demons on My Way to the Hall of Fame”:
Q: In the book you say in 2003 you were diagnosed with bipolar disorder. That’s a deeply personal thing to share with the public. Can you tell us the thought process behind that? A: Well, I had been going through some things, thinking about suicide, and one of the things that really got me to get help was when my kids took me to Father’s Day and nobody talked to me. And then somebody said something and I got upset and hit the table real hard and the people at the tables next to us got up and left, and then my kids are looking at me like, “I ain’t saying nothing else.” And I never wanna see that fear in my kids’ eyes again. Q: Do you then get diagnosed by a therapist? Do you go get medication? What’s the process? A: That is the process. I went to a diagnosis center and stayed there until they got my medication regulated and then I went to Minnesota to the bipolar depression center there. I learned tools on how to deal with my mental illness . ... You know, in high school I had no friends. In college I only had a couple and my problem was, I couldn’t trust anybody. And that’s what we’re dealing with in the NFL, is that players don’t trust anybody to tell someone what they’re going through. Q: Ronnie Lott wrote the foreword to your book. What impact did Lott have on you as a player and a young person in the NFL? A: I don’t know Ronnie Lott, I know Bo (Lott’s nickname). He’s a father figure for me. He took me under his wing. He taught me how to be a professional. He took me to his charity events where he gave shoes away and he taught me to be compassionate . ... Ronnie’s got the biggest heart in the world, and he’s stood up for me many times even when I was wrong. Q: How much does it hurt to see the 49ers in this state? They’re one of the losingest teams in the NFL. A: Winning is a tradition. Winning is an attitude. I tell guys, “I know the secret to winning. Do you know the secret to winning?” They say, “What is it?” I say, “It’s do your f—in’ job and win.” And that is the whole secret to winning . ... It’s hard to watch this team, but they’re on the path. They got some good players, and they have some talent. Q: Colin Kaepernick has taken a stand about social injustice, do you think that he should be doing that, or should he be concentrating on football? A: I don’t have a problem with him standing up for social justice, but there’s a lot of ways to do it. My thing is, it’s about “team.” He’s just bringing publicity to himself, and for me, its about “team.” ... If you want to bring about change, you gotta be a link in the chain that pulls everybody else to that. But you just standing there, with one or two guys —you’re just individuals.