Travis Kelce has been credited by Kansas City Chiefs teammate Clyde Edwards-Helaire with helping him deal with PTSD, years after an 18-year-old was shot and killed when allegedly trying to rob him at gunpoint.
The incident occurred in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in December 2018, when Edwards-Helaire and his then LSU teammate Jared Small were trying to sell an electronic item.
Kobe Johnson was the teenager who was killed and police have never said who fired the fatal shot. But the repercussions of that day are still felt by Edwards-Helaire, who has missed practice time recently due to PTSD.
Speaking this week, Edwards-Helaire opened up on how Kelce has kept a close eye on him during Kansas City’s practice camp for the upcoming NFL season.
‘It’s really just mentally just not being there. And it’s one of those things where early on, like guys who kind of pay attention, Trav (Travis Kelce), Kadarius (Toney) at times, they can even – they’ll know like ahead of time (that he’s struggling). Like, ‘Okay, Clyde might not – he’s not laughing, he’s not giggling, he’s not himself.
Travis Kelce has been helping Clyde Edwards-Helaire through dealing with PTSD
Edwards-Helaire spoke of Kelce’s influence while bravely opening up about his ordeal
He added that Kelce and Toney said: ‘We just got to make sure we are checking on him as the person, not to just be out here the energy giver, the laugher, [or] the guy that kind of keeps the locker room going.’
Edwards-Helaire said this week that ‘a defense situation’ on December 22, 2018 is the start of his troubles.
‘I would say that’s probably where a majority of things stem from but I wouldn’t necessarily say everything stemmed from that,’ the 25-year-old explained.
‘I have best friends that passed away at young ages from gun violence and just not being in the right places at the right time and just knowing that I have people that are close to me or around me who could be in the same spots that I am.
‘My first couple of years, you just try to block everything out and it’s like, ‘Oh, at some point I’m going to get over it’”. And you start to realize that that just doesn’t happen.
‘You get older and you realize, ‘Hey, no matter the age, no matter the person, no matter the situation, everyone needs help at some point.’ It takes courage to talk about it and having PTSD and dealing with it once people kind of bring it up, it is not something that I’d always want to talk about.
‘I never really know how my body will react or my mind, it is just something that I can’t really pinpoint or know exactly what’s going to happen.
‘Sometimes I am admitted into the hospital and I can’t stop throwing up. Nothing can stop it. Real bad dehydration, dropping weight real fast but real mentally, not being there.’
Kelce and Edwards-Helaire pictured together at Chiefs practice earlier in the week
Edwards-Helaire and the Chiefs are aiming for an historic Super Bowl ‘three-peat’ next season
Edwards-Helaire also tweeted about dealing with PTSD earlier this week, saying: ‘Living With PTSD is no small feat, its hard and very overwhelming.
‘Within the last month I’ve Had many flare ups and the Amazing staff here at the #Chiefs have been helping me get through some tough times.
‘I’ll be back rolling next Practice! All Love, Glydro.’
The Chiefs start the next NFL season on September 5, against Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Edwards-Helaire and his team are lining up an historic shot at winning a third-straight Super Bowl victory.
