ANTONIO BROWN, KYRIE IRVING AND???

I’m no expert.

On anything.

Trust me.

I’m just smart enough to know what I know, and know what I don’t.

You remember that old, tired cliche (isn’t the definition of a cliche…‘old and tired,’ and void of original thought?) — something akin to, “the more I know, the less I understand?”

That’s me.

And, for the record, I’ve earned no medical degree.

Of any kind.

Framed on the wall, or unframed and boxed in the attic, gathering dust.

Nope.

So perhaps then, it should come as no surprise that I can’t figure out either Antonio Brown or Kyrie Irving.

No disrespect.

Just no understanding on my part.

Unless…

The hot-button issue of mental illness is considered.

I want to steer clear of judgment.

I try not to judge.

I observe and I listen.

And I thank God that mental illness is starting to get the attention it has so long deserved.

Mental illness is a disorder with which one in five people live.

It is a medical condition, like heart disease or diabetes.

And it is treatable.

I have forever thought that all of us are a little off–in one way or another, and at one time in our lives, or another.

It’s human.

Of course there are degrees to–and gradations of–everything.

Also, to be clear, my intention is never to single out, or ridicule anybody.

My way is to accentuate the positive.

But Antonio Brown and Kyrie Irving, among countless millions of others, need help.

A pair of superhuman athletes who are lost off the field or court.

They may not think so, but that’s how I see it.

I enjoy watching each ply their trades.

But there is always a final buzzer, horn or whistle.

Then, you’re on your own.

When these two fellows are ‘on their own,’ well-documented, is the notion that not much good consistently comes of it.

Hopefully, they–and whomever else–choose to seek treatment.

Very sad to see.

[Editor’s Note: This piece was written by Mr. Kaplan in January 2022.]