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JJ Weaver Speaks About Mental Health Struggles, “You Can Be Tough, but You’re Still Going to Cry”

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UK Athletics

There has long been a stigma when it comes to men’s mental health. Traditionally, men are taught to be tough and not show their emotions, but JJ Weaver has a message. “You can be tough, but you’re still going to cry.”

Weaver, a redshirt junior and star outside linebacker for the Kentucky Wildcats has had to battle and overcome on and off the field the last two years.

Following a redshirt season in 2019, Weaver’s father, Terrance Weaver, was murdered during a home robbery in June 2020. In response, JJ poured everything he had into football to distract himself from the pain and grief, but nine games into an impressive season he suffered a torn ACL.

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Without football, Weaver no longer had that primary emotional outlet and was faced with the challenges of grieving the loss of his father as well as coming back from a major knee injury.

“I wasn’t myself,” said Weaver during last week’s media day. “It took me a while to open up. I couldn’t play football and my father just got killed. I am a young black man and I was going through it.”

Through the pain and hurt, Weaver felt the need to reach out and he let pride aside and did just that. “One night, it really hit me. I was crying in my room and I called Coach White [Brad] at 3 o’clock in the morning. I needed to talk to somebody,” said Weaver.

With Weaver open to receiving help, the Kentucky staff was able to get Weaver into therapy and helped him find a therapist he related with, and helped him cope with the trauma he had endured.

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Along with a professional therapist, Weaver noted that he leaned on former teammate Josh Paschal, who overcame a cancer diagnosis during his time at Kentucky. “He [Paschal] took me underneath his wing… He took me to church sometimes, just knowing what I was going through. He had to work on his mental health just as I was.”

Still attending therapy, Weaver is in a much better place emotionally and is now able to reflect and is an advocate for mental health. “I wish everybody would just talk to somebody,” Weaver said. “A lot of my friends back home, they don’t know how to cope with things.”

Weaver has also made it a point to use his experience and to help his teammates, saying, “They know and I tell them, ‘Talk to me if you need anything. Just talk to me. I’m here for you.’”

Weaver made his return to the field last season, being named the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year and Third-Team All-SEC by Phil Steele, but was still missing some of his explosiveness.

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This Spring, Weaver took off his knee brace for the first time since his injury and defensive coordinator Brad White took note. “You can see that that twitch is back, that that pop he had pre-injury… You see him brimming with confidence,” White said.

With the amount of talent on the roster and Will Levis behind center, the Wildcats have high expectations for this season, and so does Weaver. Calling this defense the best the Wildcats have had since 2018, Weaver will continue to be a defensive leader and aims to break Josh Allen’s sack record.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, please talk to someone and seek help. If you are unsure where to start, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) hotline can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

In addition to Weaver’s media day conversation, he also sat down with UK Healthcare and you watch below.

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Also posted to A Sea of Blue.

Football

Louisville Football Player Charged With First-Degree Strangulation, Days After Committing Game Losing Personal Foul

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Louisville Cardinals defensive back Tayon Holloway (20) reacts to his defensive play.
Eric Canha | Imagn

On Monday, Louisville football defensive back Tayon Holloway was detained and charged with first-degree strangulation and fourth-degree assault.

This comes just days after the former four-star prospect committed a costly personal foul to put a 2-7 Stanford team in field goal range and upset Louosillve 38-35 with a walk-off field goal.

As expected, Holloway has been indefinitely suspended from the team.

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“The University of Louisville is aware of the arrest of football student-athlete Tayon Holloway,” the university said in a statement. “As we gather more information, Tayon has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.”

Things Cardinals seem to be in a downward trend as the Commonwealth Cup nears, November 30th.

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Kentucky snaps four game losing streak defeats Murray State 48-6

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops talking to Murray State football coach Jody Wright.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

Kentucky gets a much-needed victory over Murray St 48-6 to snap its four-game losing Streak. Brock Vandagriff led the way for the Cats, going 12-19 for 183 passing yards and two touchdown passes to Hardley Gilmore IV and Ja’Mori Maclin. 48 Points is the most points Kentucky has scored in a game since 2021 when the Cats scored 51 points against Louisville.

The defense held Murray St. without a touchdown. For the second time this season, Kentucky’s defense has held an opponent without a touchdown.

Freshman Standout today:

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For the second time this season, Kentucky breaks the 40-point mark as three freshmen make impacts for Kentucky. Jamarion Wilcox had 13 carries and 124 yards with a touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

Receiver Hardley Gilmore IV had two receptions for 72 yards and caught the 52-yard touchdown pass from Brock Vandagriff on the game-opening drive.

Four-star quarterback Cutter Boley started the second half for the Cats, going 10-14 and passing for 130 yards with two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, both touchdown passes to sophomore receiver Anthony Brown-Stephens.

Defense Bounces Back:

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After giving up over 475 yards of total offense each of the last three games, Kentucky’s defense holds Murray State to 256 total yards of offense while also having three takeaways from the Murray State offense

Defensive Lineman Tre’vonn Rybka led the way for the defense with five tackles and the only sack of the game for Kentucky’s defense. Jordan Lovett had two takeaways in the first half for Kentucky and one in the red zone in the second quarter. Jackson Schultz had the final takeaway, picking off Jim Ogle’s pass late in the fourth quarter.

Box Score

With the win today over Murray St., Kentucky moves to 4-6 (1-6 SEC) with two games remaining. They look to keep their bowl eligibility alive as they travel to Austin, Texas, and face the No. 3 ranked Texas Longhorns at 3:30 pm on ABC. 

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Mark Stoops Responds to Retirement Rumors, “Zero Percent Chance I Do That”

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops responds to retirement rumors amidst disappointing season. "Zero percent chance I do that."
Jordan Prather | Imagn

To say there is unrest in the Kentucky Football fanbase would be an understatement. With a 3-6 record overall, and 1-6 in the SEC (15th out of 16) things look bleak, and there is still a quarter of the season to go. Considering the regression from the previous two seasons as well, it’s difficult to be optimistic about the future.

Over the last few weeks, rumors have circled that head coach Mark Stoops has considered retiring at the end of the season. Optics wise it makes sense, his older brother Bob Stoops surprisingly retired from Oklahoma at just 56, and Mark, now 57, has expressed a desire to spend more time with his children.

At his weekly press conference, Stoops was asked directly if there is any chance that he would walk away from Kentucky and retire at the season. To which he responded, bluntly:

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“Zero percent chance I do that. Next question.”

Mark Stoops is still owed more than $44 million on his contract. That’s A LOT of money to leave on the table and is the reason that the decision will be Stoops’ to make, as Kentucky cannot afford the buyout.

If Stoops holds true to his word and returns next season, NIL fundraising efforts may be the most difficult it has been for him. However, he hopes it sparks motivation to donate.

“I’ve seen it at other SEC schools,” Stoops said. “I want to stay away from that. I really get tired of — I don’t want to be like I am whining, I am crying. It is reality. You have to have dollars.”

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