DeArmond on Depression

this has some good stuff but i don't think he nailed what part of the job adds to the problem

http://www.sportsmediaguide.com/interviews/Mike-DeArmond/

 

In the only interaction I've had DeArmond, he was an absolute dick.

 

It is entirely possible, but just for the record, tell me the circumstances. And, my apologies.

 

I'll DeFend DeArmond. As he said, it's entirely possible, but he's DeFinitely not a bad guy overall. And I'm glad he's winning the battle with DePression because that is no joke.

 

Mike needs no defense from me, but I'll give one anyway. I admire his passion as much as anyone in this business, and also the ballsy way he's taking on an incredibly difficult disease.

 

Mike was a terrific influence on me as a young writer and reporter. He can be a bit gruff, so I can see how someone who had a singular interaction with him could get that impression, but it was certainly not the Mike DeArmond I knew.

Unlike some in the business, he treated us college students as peers and never begrudged us for bird-dogging him, which I certainly did from time to time. I learned a lot by watching the way he worked, and I admire the manner in which he is tackling his battle with depression.

 

I didn't have the chance to meet him when I covered Mizzou football in 2000, because he was off to Sydney for the Olympics.

I will say two things, though. 1. His thoughts on Arthur Bryant's are spot on. And this snippet...

Q. Mizzou alums are afraid to ask, but will: Is depression an occupational hazard of covering Mizzou sports?

A. No. It would depress me more if I had to daily try to report on the quasi-religious experience of Kansas basketball, Nebraska football or St. Louis Cardinals baseball. Mizzou sports and I have something in common. We’re sometimes quite good, often-times flawed. Sometimes we are just downright pathetic. But at the end of the day, I’d like to believe we’re both without too much artifice. At the end of it all, we’re not that hard to understand.

... is fucking sublime.

We ask subjects all the time to share their stories of redemption with us. That DeArmond was able to face the business end of a tape recorder and be so blunt and candid deserves a tip of the cap.

 

Working with him was quite often hilarious, and I've never questioned my belief that he's a great guy. My dad dealt/is dealing with depression, so to have an inside look at the struggle he's going through provides a new perspective for me. Keep on trucking, Mike!

 

For all the kind words I thank you all. For Spud, please forgive me for whatever it was I did to offend. And as for the depression. I take it one day at a time, which ultimately is what we all wind up doing.

 

Mike: God bless you in your battle... I admire your courage, having been through something all too familiar myself.

Best of luck, sir.

 

Spot on.

 

Congratulations on beating this horrible illness. And good luck to you in the future.