Penn State kicker Joey Julius opens up about eating disorder on Good Morning America (Video)
Penn State kicker Joey Julius has become known across college football for delivering (and sometimes taking) big hits on kickoffs. But in a recent Facebook post, the sophomore revealed a different side of himself.
Julius explained earlier this month that he was away from the Penn State team for the spring and much of summer practice because he was being treated for an eating disorder.
“Due to my increase in not only weight but also depression and anxiety my team physicians started to notice not only a change in my overall happiness but also my performance as a normal human being,” Julius wrote.
“Throughout this whole process I learned a lot about myself. I learned that for the last 11 years of my life I have suffered through a disorder known as binge eating disorder. Although I showed signs of bulimia through stints of purging from extreme anxiety placed on myself, I am certain that binge eating disorder is my true diagnosis through extensive care this summer for about three months of treatment in St. Louis, Missouri.”
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Julius appeared on Good Morning America this week to detail why he decided to go public about his eating disorder and discuss the stigma of men with eating disorders.
Julius specifically suffered from binge eating disorder, when people lose control over their food intake and often eat large amounts of food at one time, even if they’re not hungry and often when they’re alone. Julius said he believes there are other men struggling with eating disorders who are too ashamed to come forward.
“Because I was one of those guys,” he said.
Julius kicked field goals for much of the 2015 season, converting on 10-of-12 tries. This year, Julius is focusing on kickoffs and has 21 touchbacks on 37 attempts.
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Penn State, now 4-2 after beating Maryland last week, has a bye this week.
For more Penn State news, visit BlueWhiteIllustrated.com.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
