Darren Waller reveals near-death experience in Giants retirement video

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

NFL

By Ryan Dunleavy

Published
June 9, 2024, 9:33 p.m. ET

Darren Waller revealed Sunday that he suffered an unspecified medical emergency during the Giants' final season that left him fearing he was dying.

In announcing his retirement on a YouTube video, Waller said he was hospitalized early last November after calling paramedics to his North Jersey apartment when he was having trouble breathing.

Waller is a drug addict and alcoholic who got sober after an overdose in 2017 and has become a mental health advocate.

“It was a very scary situation,” Waller said. “I ended up going to the hospital for 3 and a half days. I couldn't get up and…go to the bathroom or feed myself. It was an experience that could at least sober someone up and make them think.

“I say all this because… I go back to my daily life, and it's pretty clear that I almost lost my life. And I don't know if I really feel like I would have felt good about the way my life was going if I had died at that time.

Waller returned from a one-year suspension from the NFL in 2017 to become a Pro Bowl tight end for the Raiders.

He was acquired by the Giants in March 2023 and his lone season in East Rutherford was disrupted by a hamstring injury on October 29.

The following week, while returning home from filming a video for his budding music career, Waller began feeling feverish and thought he was experiencing a third bout with COVID-19.

He was “shaking uncontrollably” and began “losing consciousness” in his bedroom.

Giants tight end Darren Waller is retiring. Robert Sabo for the NY Post

“I kept nodding [off] and I couldn't breathe, so I ended up calling 911,” Waller said. “I think I speak clearly on the phone, but they don’t understand much of what I’m saying.”

As he waited for first responders to arrive and provide him with an oxygen mask, Waller said he fell onto the couch.

“I breathe deeply and between each breath I shout: “Help!” “, Waller said. “So maybe I could wake the neighbors up. I don't know how long it lasted – it felt like an eternity – and I'm like, 'Damn, I'm dying on this couch and no one knows.” It was a bit similar to my overdose – like the power plug was pulled and I couldn't breathe.

The incident highlights Waller's decision to forfeit $35 million over the final three years of his contract. He said he has maintained his sobriety.

“I do something [football] in which I found a lot of joy…but the passion slowly faded,” Waller said. “I feel like I've spent most of my life doing what I should be doing. I’ve always been a people pleaser – someone who struggled to find value, confidence and feeling valued.

Darren Waller P.A.

The Giants medical staff cared for Waller as needed. He returned to the field on December 17.

“Thanks to the Giants,” Waller said. “Welcomed me in, making me feel like family and giving me the opportunity to reflect on this time and make a decision. »