NFL big men, especially tackles, are one of the most feared athletes, given their shape and size, in all sports. Now just imagine how lethal ‘The Rock’ would have been on an NFL roster. This exact thought has possessed the imaginations of thousands of football fans. Dwayne Johnson even had a star-studded start in college football, his contemporaries being the likes of Ray Lewis and Warren Sapp. However, his future lay in a different sport, something Johnson didn’t know at the time. Something that caused the WWE icon immense stress and depression.

Recently, during an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, the wrestler cum actor detailed his long battle with depression. The Rock definitely came out on top of the situation. However, the comeback wasn’t a walk in the park, given all the things that were going against him back then.

The Rock could have been an NFL great

Before Dwayne Johnson captivated the masses as The Rock and became one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time, the future WWE Hall-of-Famer dreamed of playing in the National Football League. A defensive tackle for the 1991 National Champions, Miami Hurricanes, Dwayne Johnson wasn’t the most elite defender on the gridiron, ultimately falling down in the depth chart to future Buccaneer Hall of Famer Sapp and Russell Maryland. Johnson went undrafted at the 1995 NFL Draft and signed with the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL. However, the Stampeders cut him after only two months on the roster.

All these setbacks played on Johnson’s anxiety. However, his major bout with depression kicked in during his college years in Miami when he suffered a devastating shoulder injury. “I was in the middle drill. Down on the ground. The whole shoulder came out. Had to get a complete reconstruction done. That sent me into a tailspin,” he said. “You didn’t want to go to school. I left school. Didn’t take any midterms. Just left.”

The ‘Black Adam’ actor has certainly come a long way since those harrowing days.

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Johnson recounted a time when he had only seven dollars in his pocket after his CFL journey ended. However, 30 years later, his movies have grossed more than $12.5 billion in worldwide sales. The Rock has a whopping net worth of $800 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. So how did he come out as the winner in this scenario?

How did Dwayne Johnson overcome his depression?

“I didn’t know what mental health was, what depression was. I wasn’t working out,” the Rock added. However, there are two things that helped him turn things around. Being a father to three daughters changed The Rock forever. “The saving grace for me has been my daughters,” he added.

The second thing was gratitude; something he feels shaped his thinking on the way up to stardom. This is a trait The Rock shares with 7x Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. The NFL icon recently shared the same sentiment in a heartwarming Instagram story.

Now the owner of the XFL, Johnson’s life has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. That’s probably why it doesn’t come off as a surprise when millions of people look to the superstar for inspiration.

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