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NFL notebook: Rypien opens up on mental health issues

[April 03, 2018] Mark Rypien, the MVP of Super Bowl XXVI, revealed that he once attempted suicide as a result of mental health issues he believes originated from his days of playing football.

"I suffer from a complex stew of mental health conditions," Rypien told Spokane, Wash., TV station KHQ. "Dark places, depression, anxiety, addictions, poor choices, poor decisions, brought about from dozens of concussions and thousands of subconcussive injuries from playing this sport."

Rypien opened up on his mental health with both KHQ-TV and The Spokesman-Review in the hopes that sharing his story would help urge others to share theirs. He said the January suicide of Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski and the death of Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) High School principal Troy Schueller from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound earlier this month pushed him to speak out.

"Let me share my story so others can share theirs," Rypien said. "Let's get rid of this silence that happens when you're caught up in this cycle and you don't know how to find the help I've been afforded. There are ways to get help... My story is impactful because people see me in a different light. I want them to see me in an accurate light. I've been down the darkest path. I've made some horrible, horrible mistakes. But I've given myself a chance to progress forward."

--Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett will enter a not guilty plea if he faces a trial on a felony injury of the elderly charge, his lawyer told ESPN.

Bennett, who posted $10,000 bail after turning himself in on Monday, is represented by Rusty Hardin.

"The only two possible outcomes for this case is the DA's office they don't have a case and dismissing, or a trial -- one or the other," Hardin said Friday, per ESPN. "If and whenever they ask for a plea, it will be not guilty."

--The Oakland Raiders stunningly released punter Marquette King while re-signing safety Reggie Nelson and releasing tight end Clive Walford.

The Raiders formally announced the release of King, who reportedly showed up to the team facility earlier Friday and was pulled aside by general manager Reggie McKenzie and informed of the transaction, according to the NFL Network.

The move will save the Raiders $2.9 million against the salary cap, which is what King was scheduled to make in 2018. King, who made $2.5 million in 2017, was entering the third year of a five-year, $16.5 million deal.

--The Minnesota Vikings signed Kendall Wright, giving the team's offense another option at wide receiver.

Wright, 28, made 59 catches for 614 yards and one touchdown in 2017 on a one-year contract with the Chicago Bears after five years with the Tennessee Titans. He made a season-high 10 receptions for 107 yards in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14.

The former Baylor receiver's most productive season was 2013, when he caught 94 passes for 1,079 yards with Tennessee.

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--The Cleveland Browns announced they have agreed to contracts with former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Drew Stanton and former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jeff Janis.

Terms were not available, but Stanton's deal was originally reported to be for two years. He becomes the third quarterback on Cleveland's roster, with the team widely expected to take another with the first overall pick in next month's draft.

Janis was a seventh-round pick by the Packers out of Saginaw Valley State in 2014. In 51 games with Green Bay, he had just 17 catches for 200 yards and one touchdown, though he famously caught a Hail Mary from Aaron Rodgers with no time left to send a playoff game against the Cardinals into overtime in 2016.

--The New York Jets announced that they signed former Seattle Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Rawls, signed by Seattle as an undrafted free agent in 2015, erupted when filling in for Marshawn Lynch as a rookie. He ran for at least 100 yards four times that season, including a club rookie record 209 against the 49ers.

His carries decreased in each of the last two seasons, and he was inactive for games last season.

--The Los Angeles Chargers agreed to terms with defensive back Jaylen Watkins on a one-year contract.

Terms of the deal were not announced. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports the Chargers are expected to play Watkins at safety.

Watkins, the older half-brother of wide receiver Sammy Watkins, was selected in the fourth round by the Eagles in 2014. In the last two seasons, he played in 28 out of 32 regular-season games, making five starts and collecting 52 total tackles.

--The Kansas City Chiefs signed quarterback Matt McGloin and wide receiver Nelson Spruce to free-agent contracts. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.

McGloin, 28, joined the league with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State in 2013. After appearing in seven games (six starts) as a rookie, he played in just six more games with the Raiders over the next three seasons before signing with the Eagles last April.

Spruce, 25, made the Los Angeles Rams' roster as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado in 2016. He did not play that season and was waived in the 2017 preseason. He later was added to the Bears' practice squad.

--Field Level Media

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