Middleton honoring memory of best friend
Safety working at raising awareness of mental-health issues
Doug Middleton will never forget the moment he heard the news.
Middleton was training with renowned South Florida trainer Pete Bommarito, not too far from the Miami Dolphins practice facility, before his second minicamp with the New York Jets in July 2017 when his father gave him the dreaded phone call.
Middleton’s childhood friend, AJ Morrison, had killed himself.
They lived on the same street in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They grew up together, and were best friends since the age of 7.
They went to middle school and high school together. They ran track and played on the football team together, too.
And for the past two years, Middleton has been coping with the loss.
“He’s pretty much my brother,” said Middleton, a fourth-year safety who joined the Dolphins last month.
Middleton joined coach Brian Flores’ deep group of defensive backs, hoping to prolong his NFL career after three years with the Jets and carve out a role in the Dolphins’ secondary.
“I’m just thankful for the opportunity, and however they plan on using me here, I’ll be ready for it,” Middleton said. “I really want to come in here, be a great teammate and be a playmaker. That’s my goal — to help this team gets some wins.
“That’s what I’m focused on.”
While Middleton is in South Florida, he plans to continue fulfilling a promise he said he would pursue during his friend’s funeral.
Middleton created the Dream The Impossible Initiative in 2017 with hopes of raising awareness about mental-health issues.
Whether it has been working with kids in leadership groups to take a proactive approach on topics like bullying and helping people identify triggers and quick solutions to improve their mental health, Middleton has worked to honor his friend’s memory to the best of his abilities.
Middleton believes he did as much as he could to help Morrison, who he said was severely depressed and showed “indicators of serious mental-health issues.”
Now, he’s continuing to learn as much about mental health as he can to ensure he can help others before they meet the same unfortunate fate his friend did.
“My part is just trying to remember him however I can, and helping people understand that it’s just as important as your physical health, and provide them with critical factors that could contribute to their well-being and making sure they can do everything from their side to make sure they keep their mental spirits up,” Middleton said.
“These days, it’s tough. It does not matter if you’re a professional athlete or somebody working a regular job from 9-5. It’s very important that you find things and take out time to just work on your mental health and treat it just as important as your physical health.”
Since joining the Dolphins, talks to Middleton said he has already reached out to the local Broward County chapter of NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Health, to partner for a future event to further their causes.
He is also looking forward to working with NAMI’s legislation group that meets with different congressmen regarding laws and funding for mental health awareness, furthering his interest in politics.
Before joining the Dolphins, Middleton participated in an externship with a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C., while taking a break from pursuing his Master’s of Business Administration from Appalachian State University, where he already has a Master’s in Public Administration.
Whether it’s a career as a city manager or in the political field, Middleton has given himself several avenues to pursue in the future after his playing days.
In the interim, as a member of the rebuilding Dolphins team, Middleton hopes his impact also stretches off the field where he can be a beacon of hope for his teammates in the locker room.
Middleton said he has already taken pride in speaking with teammates following disappointing moments with hopes of uplifting their spirits.
“At the same time, I have days like that, too. If I’m able to talk through with [them], I could definitely provide some leadership in that way,” Middleton said. “This being my fourth year in the league, it’s a very young team, outside of the safeties, there’s a lot of young guys. Anything I could do.”
Through it all, Middleton tries to maintain his perspective through times of joy and tribulation.
Even after the loss closest friend.
“There are some tough days,” Middleton said, “but I try to receive it the other way, too.” of his