Jaylon Johnson took a brave yet impassioned stance.
After inking a lengthy contract with the Chicago Bears, Johnson stepped up to the podium not just to celebrate but to share something more personal. Just days prior, the Bears had secured Johnson’s talent with the franchise tag, and now, with a four-year commitment in hand, he was ready to speak his truth.
In a display of unexpected vulnerability, Johnson opened his press conference by revealing he sought therapy for sexual addiction last season. This topic might surprise some, but it takes immense courage to share such a personal struggle, especially one that goes beyond the football field.
“We’re human too,” Johnson said via The Athletic’s Jon Greenberg on Twitter/X. “We go through things; everybody goes through things. People feel like you’ve got to put a mask on; you’ve got to cover it up. Nah, it’s OK to go through things. It’s OK to seek help. It’s OK to be vulnerable.”
“I was trying to get myself right,” he continued. “For me, it’s bigger than contracts. For me, being who I need to be as a man, as a father, as a partner, and a future husband, that’s more important, and that’s something…that lasts way longer than this platform.”
"I was trying to get myself right. For me, it’s bigger than contracts. For me, being who I need to be as a man, as a father, as a partner, as a future husband, that’s more important and that’s something … that lasts way longer than this platform."
— jon greenberg (@jon_greenberg) March 11, 2024
Johnson’s decision to speak openly was an empowering use of his platform. However, his moment of vulnerability was marred by a reporter’s insensitive question. The question inappropriately framed his sexual addiction as a risk to himself rather than a personal challenge he bravely addressed.
Props to Jaylon for handling that ridiculous question in such a classy way pic.twitter.com/HkztlTMiEw
— DaWindyCity Productions (@dwcprodz) March 11, 2024
“How much was that episode — going through your personal trial and going through therapy — how much was that a danger to like your family, your career?” asked veteran Chicago Sun-Times reporter Mark Potash.
Potash’s use of the loaded term “danger” to describe Johnson’s sexual addiction left Johnson to question that very framing.
“If I wouldn’t have told you that, you would have never knew,” Johnson said when asked how his sex addiction has affected him on and off the field. “So, I mean, it didn’t affect me really, at all. If anything, it boosted me up to who I needed to be. And I, like I said, in that place of vulnerability, I had a breakthrough. I had a breakthrough in myself. I had a breakthrough on the football field. So, I mean, I definitely wouldn’t say it affected me. It boosted me into being who I know I am.”
Composed throughout the press conference, Johnson’s strength shone through, both in his initial act of vulnerability and in his handling of a reporter’s disingenuous question about something that took immense courage to share.
[DaWindyCity Productions on Twitter/X]
