http://www.JohnFMurray.com
Tel: 561-596-9898
Hartford Courant
Their Hearts Were Still In It
But Life Takes Turn For Bruschi, Mullen
March 20, 2005
By PAUL DOYLE, Courant Staff Writer
Less than two weeks removed from a Super Bowl victory and days after a Pro Bowl
appearance in Hawaii, Tedy Bruschi's world collapsed.
The Patriots' linebacker had a mild stroke, leaving his football career in
jeopardy. And any hope of continuing his NFL life seemed to vanish with word
last week that he'll need surgery to repair a hole in his heart.
How can a life be turned upside down so abruptly?
Brian Mullen was asking the same thing 12 years ago. Mullen was about to start
his 12th season in the NHL, and he was a productive player for the New York
Islanders.
But Mullen had a mild stroke on Aug. 11, 1993. He had heart surgery a few months
later and was back on the ice six months after his stroke.
His comeback ended March 20, 1994, when he had a seizure that was related his
stroke. The seizure occurred five minutes after he was told to report to the
minor leagues for a conditioning stint that would seemingly lead him back to the
NHL.
That was the end of his career.
"It was pretty devastating," Mullen said Friday from his New Jersey home. "It
took time getting over it. It didn't end the way I wanted it to end, and it was
tough to deal with."
When Bruschi had a stroke last month, Mullen was reminded of his ordeal. The
similarities are striking. Each had his stroke at age 31. Each was apparently
fit. Each thrived in physical sports, and each seemed to have more mileage left.
Bruschi is a leader on an NFL dynasty. Mullen was a leader on an NHL team that
upset the Pittsburgh Penguins and advanced to the Wales Conference final in the
spring of 1993.
"I was pretty much at the top of my game, pretty much at the top of the world,"
Mullen said.
Once Mullen was cleared to resume his career, he immediately attempted a
comeback.
After the seizure, he contemplated another comeback, but was not interested in
proving himself in the minor leagues. He retired and took a job as director of
off-ice programs for the NHL.
But the transition was not easy. Like any professional athlete forced to retire,
Mullen missed playing.
Sports psychologists say the move from professional athlete to ex-jock is rarely
smooth, especially when the change is abrupt. And in the case of Mullen - and
apparently, Bruschi - the circumstances were out of his control.
"That sort of exacerbates it," said Alan Goldberg, a sports psychologist based
in Amherst, Mass. "It's much more difficult for [Bruschi] because you're not
ready for it. But many of the issues in retirement are the same. There's all
this identity stuff. These are people, their identity is tied up as an athlete."
Goldberg, a former member of the athletic staff at UConn, said the change of
lifestyle is so severe that athletes often have difficulty adjusting to monotony
of retirement.
"There's the whole thing about being a star and the addictive quality of that,"
Goldberg said. "The world of professional sports and even the world of high
level Division I sports, that's like not real. That's like Disneyland. These
guys are in the limelight. They're on the cover of magazines, and they're
household names. ... When they retire, they're nobody. They don't get that rush.
They don't get the recognition. It's not unusual to go through an intense sense
of depression."
Mullen said there was a sense of depression over losing his career, but his
health concerns also put his life into perspective.
"You realize what's important in life," Mullen said. "My first thoughts were
with my family. Would I be able to play with my kids? That's where I went. But I
definitely missed the game, too."
John Murray, a sports psychologist in West Palm Beach, Fla., said depression and
anxiety are common in retirement. No matter what led an athlete to retirement -
whether forced by an injury or not - there's radical change.
"It leads to a lot of emotional effects," Murray said. "It's about long-term
coping with this change in life and effectively becoming someone else."
Goldberg compares the process to psychiatrist Elizabeth Kubler-Ross' five stages
of dying: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
"There's definitely that stage of depression," Goldberg said. "It's a
significant loss. And in his case, it gets compounded. Professional athletes
have been able to rely on their body to do miraculous things. [Bruschi's] body
let him down. That's a crushing blow. So your depression gets compounded."
Said Long Island sports psychologist Dr. Richard Lustberg, "I'm sure [Bruschi]
is depressed right now. This is a very frightening thing. ... And I'm sure he's
not really come to grips with the enormity of it. Right now he's focused on
life. When [training] camp opens, then it will really set in."
For Mullen, life was never the same. Even when he attempted his comeback in
1994, things were different.
When he was cleared to practice with the Islanders, he soon noticed his
teammates were treating him differently. When team enforcer Mick Vukota had
Mullen lined up in the corner, he turned and avoided the hit.
"I yelled at him, `Hit me,'" Mullen said. "I told him, `Don't let me off the
hook.' I realized it was an adjustment for my teammates, too."
Bruschi is one of the most popular players on the Patriots, so his presence will
be missed if his career is over. But the adjustment inside the Patriots' locker
room will be minimal compared to what will happen in Bruschi's house.
Mullen was a radio analyst for the Rangers last year and he's coaching youth
hockey this winter. After so many years on the road, he is happy to be home with
his family and he's far removed from his playing career.
"You know, as an athlete growing up, you feel so invincible," Mullen said. "When
something like that happens, it just changes you."
http://www.JohnFMurray.com
Tel: 561-596-9898