Former NFL lineman opens up about mental health battle before Chicago Marathon
After nine seasons and nearly 100 games with the Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans, former NFL offensive lineman Justin Britt knew something wasn’t right. He began making mistakes he’d never made before and felt detached, as if he were watching himself play in a video game.
“I remember feeling so small and fragile, and frankly, I didn’t know why I felt this way,” Britt told Canadian Running.
Known for being one of the last players to leave the locker room, Britt recalls how everything changed after a Week 1 game between the Texans and Colts in September 2022. In this game, he was the first one out, and broke down the moment he saw his wife. “I remember her asking me what was wrong,” Britt says. “I told her I needed to retire.”
Growing up in Missouri, football was everything Britt knew. Although grateful for a long professional career, he admits he wasn’t sure how he’d mentally handle walking away from the sport that defined him. He believed he had given football everything he could, but physically, he still felt competitive. That same drive led him somewhere new: the start line of his first marathon this Sunday in Chicago.
“I don’t know where I’d be mentally if I didn’t start running,” Britt says. “Even on the days where I hurt, I’m really glad I went out there and did that.”
Like many former athletes, Britt was skeptical about running. During his final NFL seasons, he had fluid drained from his knees twice a week just to reduce swelling enough to play. “I’ve been told all my life that running is bad for your knees,” he says. “But what I’ve learned is that humans were made to move. I’ve gone from barely finishing a mile to running almost a dozen half-marathons in the last year.”
Now 34, Britt says running has become both a physical and mental outlet, helping him heal from the place he was in three years ago. On Sunday, he’ll line up among tens of thousands of runners at the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, taking on the distance for the very first time. “I’ve got butterflies and anticipation,” he says, “but I know crossing that finish line will mean the world to me and my family.”
Despite being new to the marathon, Britt says he still leans on some lessons from his football days. In particular, one piece of advice from his former Seahawks coach, Pete Carroll: Make practice harder than gameday. “Mentally, I’m carrying that same energy into this race,” Britt says. “I’m grateful.”
“You may run the marathon by yourself—but, like football, there’s a team that helps you get there,” Britt adds. “I don’t know where I’d be without the support of my wife, Alicia, and my team around me.”
