A former NC State and NFL QB, dealing with real life issues

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18 plus terms and conditions apply. No oversight for details. The last time the Detroit Lions, I believe, won a playoff game, or at least were close to getting to a Super Bowl, and they've never been to a Super Bowl, was in 1991. And the quarterback that day was Eric Kramer, an NC State guy, and he joins us on the Adam Gold Show to talk about his book, a little football as well. The book is called The Ultimate Comeback, Surviving a Suicide Attempt, Conquering Depression, and Living with a Purpose. Mr. Kramer, this is our first conversation. I am looking forward to it. How are you?

I'm doing great, thank you. And let me just say that not only in 1991 did we win the Central Division and go to the playoffs, but we also did in 1993. And this is the 30th anniversary of winning that division for, what, twice in three years. So you're right. Unfortunately, it has been that long, but I think we can all see the Lions are definitely back. Oh, there is no question. Did you guys get hosed by Brad Allen and his crew against Dallas? I'm just curious. No, no, no.

I don't even know if Brad was born back then, but that's a whole thing in and of itself. I love the fact that A, they went for two. B, they had the play designed perfectly. The little nuanced version of trying to, you know, get three people to go walk over or in any way approach the referee. Okay, fine. Now, once you get penalized, right or wrong, why not kick it? Yeah, I'm with you. I mean, having said that, to me, both teams were coached brilliantly and players played brilliantly throughout. I mean, there was huge plays and body blows from both sides and it was just a good, fun game to watch. Because going into the game, everybody picked the Cowboys and everybody was, everybody who did that, or a lot of people thought, Oh, the lions are going to be so happy that they won the division. They're going to, you know, in some way we'll have a letdown, which they did not. And so that was just, it was from that perspective, I think enjoyable to watch. And I also think that in late in the season, yes, it would have been nice to wake up and be the number one seed the next day. However, sometimes it's not a bad thing to have a late season loss. Okay.

Okay. Look, I love, I've loved everything about them except maybe the loss to the bears. Nothing's a couple of a few weeks ago. I think they'd been dynamite and Dan Campbell is, I think he grows on everybody. I think Dan Campbell is the modern NFL coach, not, not the, not the guy who's outsmarting everybody.

And, you know, he is just, I mean, he's a, I think a great players coach. Let me, I do want to ask you about, I mean, the reason we, we hooked up is the book and I appreciate my friend Tim Peeler for bringing us together. And just so people know the ultimate comeback, surviving a suicide attempt, conquering depression and living with a purpose.

We look at athletes as giants, as these impenetrable people. How long had you been dealing with depression and, you know, whatever else was going on in your life that kind of led you down a bit of a dark path? Well, I think that, you know, we all have our struggles or we're all come from, you know, not great upbringings always. And, but the first time I ever even had anything like depression was in 1994 after I had been, after I'd come to the bears and we started out that season. You know, I wasn't playing particularly great, but I was learning a whole new system and we had lost, I actually got hurt against the Vikings. I think I separated a shoulder. Um, I came back, I think played and maybe one more game and then was suddenly not doing what I was paid to go there and do. And, um, because I had gone through so much to get to that point. And, um, so that was, that was where I didn't even want to get out of bed. Like it was this overwhelming sense that, uh, I wasn't good enough, not just to play football.

I wouldn't get enough to put, to get out of bed or face today or face people. And so depression has a way of kind of seeping in, I would say, and clouding a person's perspective, at least in my case. And it doesn't give you the aerial view of your life. It doesn't suggest to you that everybody goes through tough times.

It doesn't say what it does. In fact, to say, you know what, you're the only one who does this, who's anything like this has ever happened to. And so it removes you basically from even the desire of wanting to connect with anybody. You kind of feel that you're not connected and that feels bad and you're feeling like, well, I don't want to make eye contact with anybody because that would connect me to somebody. Um, experience and to have it happen during a season, uh, as if it's not already bad enough when you're injured and the, and the train leaves without you. Well, now you're fine. And the train also leaves without you. And so it was a big growing experience for me. One that I'm, I'm glad I went through in retrospect, but the time was difficult. And look there, I know it gets darker for you after that.

What kind of mechanisms, I can't imagine that there were any, were in place to maybe help you during that time? Um, well, the, when you say mechanisms, there, there are always people that you don't see that are there. And so it's nothing more complicated than you reaching out and suggesting to somebody, you know, Hey, you got a minute. I got a few things on my mind like to talk to you about, or it's not any more complicated than somebody saying, Hey, you don't look quite yourself.

Would you like to go to lunch? It's that simple. And, um, it could involve a therapist. It could not involve a therapist, but however they are trained professional listeners and empathetic, not only empathetic, but insightful. And know kind of how to help couch your, what is not, what is no longer your perspective and maybe give you some. And, um, so yeah, it's really just that simple antidepressants eventually helped. Um, but it's not like taking an aspirin because aspirin's work quickly and anti-medication works maybe a month, month and a half ish from the time you start taking them, but I didn't do anything for your depression today. And so, uh, that eventually helped as well. So, you know, it's a, it's kind of a learning process, but it's kind of, uh, you're in the game and then you start learning.

Eric Kramer is joining us here, by the way, you follow him on Twitter at EK pass. Um, I don't know how much you want to get into. We don't have a ton of time, you know, a few more minutes, but, um, about you surviving a suicide attempt.

Okay. And how, how did that, first of all, what drove you to that point and what was when, when you thankfully failed at that, what, um, how did you come out of it? So how it came about was, uh, in a very short period of time, um, uh, on a mother's day back in 2011, actually the day after mother's day, my mom informed me she had stage four uterine cancer out of the blue. And then my, uh, son Griffin had been, um, he was, uh, in 10th grade of his high school year. Uh, he went into a drug treatment facility and so was removed from school. For about three months, then went into an outpatient program that ended about, um, I'd say in the beginning of 2011. So he now is back in high school and maybe should not have been in any event.

He was. And in October of that year, late October, near the end of the football season, uh, he died of a relapse. So he had a heroin overdose. And then around, uh, I think it was about eight months later, my mom who had been, you know, as I told you, diagnosed with stage four uterine cancer eventually had a massive surgery, which you probably should have died from, but didn't and went into remission only to have it come back.

So in July, 2012, she passed away. Then around that time, my dad, um, uh, was diagnosed with, um, uh, he had some acid reflux that went untreated. And then not long after that, um, that acid, that non-treated acid reflux developed into esophageal cancer, which took him down about a three-year decline where there was no turning around.

There was no U-turn for that. And so he eventually passed, uh, in, I think it was September, 2015. And, um, so yeah, that was a rough go. Uh, and it was kind of, it's kind of like, um, you know, there was a lot more subtraction than addition. Um, my son, I have another son, Dylan, um, who was, um, again, not living with me at the time, he was with his mom and I just, you know, I got an overwhelming depression kind of out of the blue and literally driving down the street one day. Um, I found myself going, oh no, here comes that pain again. And by then, uh, it, it had almost gotten, well, it had gotten so bad that, um, I, you know, wanted to do what I should not have wanted to do, which was kill myself. I actually went about everything you could do to make it go right. And fortunately, as you alluded to, it didn't, which was great. So I'm, nobody's more happy and grateful to be here walking around daily than I am.

The book is the story of how you come out on the other side. Uh, and obviously we're all grateful for that. Um, and I hope everything is going well with you and, uh, you've connected with all the people you need to connect, uh, with and everything is, uh, uh, is moving in the right direction.

Eric Kramer, I appreciate your time. Uh, let's, uh, I would love to talk football with you again, if you want to. Anytime, man, it's being football season.

Uh, yeah, I'd love to. It's always football season. Correct.

That's a better way to put it. Thanks, man. Eric, uh, great luck with the book.

Uh, I don't know what came out in November, the ultimate comebacks surviving a suicide attempt and conquering depression and living with a purpose. Eric Kramer, thank you so much. Thank you guys. Have a good day. You got it.

Eric Kramer here on the Adam gold show. Hello, it is Ryan and we could all use an extra bright spot in our day. Couldn't we just to make up for things like sitting in traffic, doing the dishes, counting your steps, you know, all the mundane stuff. That is why I'm such a big fan of Chumba casino. Chumba casino has all your favorite social casino style games. You can play for free anytime, anywhere with daily bonuses. That should brighten your day look actually a lot. So sign up now at Chumba casino.com. That's Chumba casino.com.