Jacob Trouba calls out bullies as he opens up about suicide and his mental health

New York Rangers star defenseman and captain Jacob Trouba has had enough. Days after his Blue Shirts were eliminated from the postseason by the Florida Panthers, missing out on the Stanley Cup Final once again, Trouba revealed that he had been playing with a severe injury, revealing how a big chunk of his ankle came off, but he still played through the pain.

However, in his post on X on Wednesday, the criticism that he’s received online about his performance and role on the Rangers’ roster appears to be what is more painful for the blue liner. Trouba calls out former NHLer Ryan Whitney and Pasha Eshghi of the Spittin Chiclets podcast for the mean things that was said about him. He even hints at suicide and mental health, explaining how recenlty, a professional athlete took his own life due to mental illness.

“Suicide rates have doubled in the past 20 years in U.S. college athletes - 11 days ago, a PGA TOUR golfer tragically took his own life after a mental health battle and people asked how that was possible
We must do better than this.”

While I am not saying that Trouba is admitting to having suicidal thoughts, you have to admit that this post is raw and honest. The defenseman is right: athletes go through so much criticism, especially when their teams failed to succeed and win championship and when fans or pundits call them out, they seem to forget there are human beings behind that professional athlete.

No everyone agrees with the way Trouba has been playing - the hard-hitting blue liner has often been called out for his recklessness on the ice, but he has also been an important voice off the ice for the well-being of others. He is the 2023-24 Mark Messier Award winner, an award that recognizes an individual as a superior leader within their sport, and as a contributing member of society.

What do you make of Trouba’s comments?