Herschel Walker has multiple personalities - The Orange Mane

Man-Goblin · 04-14-2008, 11:45 AM

...including a ballet dancer, FBI agent, Marine, Bobsledder, Running back, homicidal manic, and suicidal headcase. Pretty crazy read.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3346240

Walker reveals struggles with mental disorder in just-released book

In the just-released book "Breaking Free", former NFL running back Herschel Walker delves into his excruciating struggles with dissociative identity disorder, saying he tried to manage a dozen alternate personalities and that the condition nearly drove him to suicide.

In a "Nightline" interview that will air Monday on ABC, the 46-year-old Walker said he has been in treatment for eight years and believes the disorder is under control, adding that writing the book was therapeutic for him.

"I've totally changed from back then to where I am today," he said. Details of the interview appear in a story on ABCNews.com. It is not clear at what point in his life Walker believes he had the disorder.

Following a Heisman Trophy-winning career at the University of Georgia, Walker spent three seasons in the USFL and then played 12 years in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. He also was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic bobsled team, with an array of other interests that included ballet and law enforcement.

After his retirement from football in 1997, Walker said the disorder began to overwhelm him. At one point, while sitting in his kitchen, he said he played Russian roulette with a loaded pistol.

"To challenge death like I was doing, you start saying, there's a problem here," Walker told Woodruff.

DID, formerly known as multiple personality disorder, is described as a relatively rare mental condition where a person has two or more distinct personalities. The disorder has been dismissed by some in the medical field.

"Nightline" interviewed Walker's therapist, Jerry Mungadze, who said he met Walker's alternate personalities, or "alters," during their sessions.

"They will come out and say, I am so-and-so. I'm here to tell you Herschel is not doing too good," Mungadze said. " ... When he finishes, it would just disappear back in him, and Herschel comes out."

Walker and his ex-wife, Cindy Grossman, were married for 16 years before she knew about his illness, she said.

"Well, now it makes perfect sense, because each personality has a different interest," Grossman told "Nightline". "This one has an interest in ballet, this one has an interest in the Marines, this one had an interest [in the] FBI, this one had an interest in sports.

"There was also a very sweet, lovable [personality]. That's the one he told me I married. He told me I didn't marry Herschel," said Grossman, who later in the interview recalled a conversation with Walker, "and the next thing I knew, he just kind of raged and he got a gun and put it to my temple."

When the topic of the book was revealed in January, Walker's father -- plus a former teammate and Vince Dooley, Walker's coach at Georgia -- met the revelation with shock.

"I know him better than anybody 'cause I raised him," Willis Walker Sr. told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time. "This is my first knowing about that."

Walker said he hoped "Breaking Free" will help change the public's image of DID and help others afflicted with the disorder.

"DID is not 'Sybil' or 'Three Faces of Eve.' DID is just an illness that people are dealing with," he said. In the book, he wrote, "I feel the greatest achievement of my life will be to tell the world my truth."

alkemical · 04-14-2008, 12:32 PM

Wow, i hope he's ok.

I don't mean to joke, and maybe many of you know what i mean - but i have days where i feel like philosophical clav, silly clav, i'm-going-to-ram-this-bottle-in-your-f'n-skull clav, etc.

Now, if each one of his "identities" had different "names", etc - that's tough.

NaptownChief · 04-14-2008, 01:54 PM

He has recently got into MMA....He is still in great shape and knowing that he isn't exactly balanced certainly would bring a level of intimidation to the ring with him.

NYBronco · 04-14-2008, 04:22 PM

"Well, now it makes perfect sense, because each personality has a different interest," Grossman told "Nightline". "This one has an interest in ballet, this one has an interest in the Marines, this one had an interest [in the] FBI, this one had an interest in sports.

Yikes, I have interests in the Broncos, music, building renovation, solar, wind and hydro power, food, micro brewed beers, cars, plants, money, sleep, women, time away from work, mountains, skiing, racquetball, my son and daughter, holidays, holidays, lots of snow, driving the back roads, sightseeing...

DomCasual · 04-14-2008, 04:40 PM

It makes sense.

I think the Vikings were thinking they were getting several guys when they traded the Cowboys the foundation for a bunch of Lombardis.

DomCasual · 04-14-2008, 04:42 PM

Hey, it just occurred to me.

Does anyone think AmesJ/clavicalsolomoniscabiscuitmortimer might actually be several of Herschel Walker's personalities?

Think about it. Has anyone here every seen them together?

I didn't think so.

rovolution · 04-14-2008, 04:46 PM

Probably still angry that Jerry turned him into a Dynasty and didnt want that to be everyones everlasting memory of him.

Hotrod · 04-14-2008, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DomCasual

It makes sense.

I think the Vikings were thinking they were getting several guys when they traded the Cowboys the foundation for a bunch of Lombardis.

It was still a bad trade....I mean what the hell good was a ballet dancer and boobsleder going to do them

Sure the homicidal manic might have helped at MLB or on ST but still.

broncosteven · 04-14-2008, 05:02 PM

A good RB needs to be a little bit of Ballet Dancer, Bob sledder, Raging menopauseal Female, Marine...not sure about FBI agent or tranny but the other personalities would help on the field.

J/k aside wish him the best.

CBF1 · 04-14-2008, 05:42 PM

CBF1 saids he is not too surprised by the news. CBF1 hopes for a full recovery for Herchel.

Pseudofool · 04-14-2008, 06:03 PM

Just saw the ABC News interview. He seems ok. I guess he doesn't remember recieving the Heismann or threatening his ex-wife. Seems pretty humble.

I say we trade the draft for him, now that he's got his head on straight.

Taco John · 04-14-2008, 07:05 PM

I think we should give up a couple of second day draft picks for him so that we get to see Angry SoCal come out.

elsid13 · 04-14-2008, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taco John

I think we should give up a couple of second day draft picks for him so that we get to see Angry SoCal come out.

First Day, First Day TJ. I looking for Three Mile Island meltdown.

CBF1 · 04-14-2008, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taco John

I think we should give up a couple of second day draft picks for him so that we get to see Angry SoCal come out.

More of a "shock and Awe" result I am sure.

Punisher · 04-14-2008, 07:45 PM

Thats some real **** multiple personalities,he must of been holding alot of things inside.That can drive a man crazy....

alkemical · 04-14-2008, 11:06 PM

Maybe he's one of the montauk boys....

Man-Goblin · 04-14-2008, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taco John

I think we should give up a couple of second day draft picks for him so that we get to see Angry SoCal come out.

Tell him Sidney Crosby got hurt in the skate around. Probably would word just as well.

Man-Goblin · 04-14-2008, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Man-Goblin

Tell him Sidney Crosby got hurt in the skate around. Probably would word just as well.

Karma...instantaneously as I post that, Wild score.

Merlin · 04-15-2008, 10:11 AM

As of yet there is no tangible proof of multiple personalties. The "diagnosis" was in vogue in the 90s and began to really be challenged in the early 2000s. I'm surprised it has surfaced again. I would imagine there will be some article in the near future critical of the diagnosis.

Bronco X · 04-15-2008, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merlin

As of yet there is no tangible proof of multiple personalties. The "diagnosis" was in vogue in the 90s and began to really be challenged in the early 2000s. I'm surprised it has surfaced again. I would imagine there will be some article in the near future critical of the diagnosis.

Exactly. You always see multiple personalities in books, movies and TV because it's an interesting conflict for fiction. But actual documented cases of the disorder are extremely rare. It's reason to be skeptical that this is being revealed in a book, written by Walker with a forward by his therapist who diagnosed him.

Dendave · 04-15-2008, 12:22 PM

I got his autograph in the early 80 when he ran in a track meet at the Silverdome...I wonder which personality signed it?

crosswatt · 04-15-2008, 01:16 PM

Quote:

On the list of preeminent sports records, Herschel Walker's 25,283-yard total—more than 14 miles of gridiron real estate—may be as unassailable as Pete Rose's 4,256 hits. But the record will forever be accompanied by an asterisk because Walker didn't follow the normal path to the pros. Normal would've meant finishing his college career at Georgia and being the No. 1 pick in the 1984 NFL draft. (The New England Patriots used that pick to select Nebraska receiver Irving Fryar.) The NFL didn't take underclassmen back then, so Walker became the poster child for a renegade league that was destined to fail. For three years, he carried the USFL on his back, earning MVP honors twice and gaining more than 7,000 all-purpose yards. He then spent 12 years in the NFL, which doesn't recognize statistics from other leagues. In the NFL's mind, Walker's USFL career never happened. The NFL credits him with only 18,168 all-purpose yards—which is still good for fifth place on the all-time NFL list.

One of him could flat out play ball, though.....
http://www.uga.edu/gm/300/FeatHerschel.html

04-14-2008, 11:45 AM	#1
Man-Goblin Giving You The Business Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Huntersville, NC Posts: 5,589 Adopt-a-Bronco: Woodyard	Herschel Walker has multiple personalities ...including a ballet dancer, FBI agent, Marine, Bobsledder, Running back, homicidal manic, and suicidal headcase. Pretty crazy read. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3346240 Walker reveals struggles with mental disorder in just-released book In the just-released book "Breaking Free", former NFL running back Herschel Walker delves into his excruciating struggles with dissociative identity disorder, saying he tried to manage a dozen alternate personalities and that the condition nearly drove him to suicide. In a "Nightline" interview that will air Monday on ABC, the 46-year-old Walker said he has been in treatment for eight years and believes the disorder is under control, adding that writing the book was therapeutic for him. "I've totally changed from back then to where I am today," he said. Details of the interview appear in a story on ABCNews.com. It is not clear at what point in his life Walker believes he had the disorder. Following a Heisman Trophy-winning career at the University of Georgia, Walker spent three seasons in the USFL and then played 12 years in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. He also was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic bobsled team, with an array of other interests that included ballet and law enforcement. After his retirement from football in 1997, Walker said the disorder began to overwhelm him. At one point, while sitting in his kitchen, he said he played Russian roulette with a loaded pistol. "To challenge death like I was doing, you start saying, there's a problem here," Walker told Woodruff. DID, formerly known as multiple personality disorder, is described as a relatively rare mental condition where a person has two or more distinct personalities. The disorder has been dismissed by some in the medical field. "Nightline" interviewed Walker's therapist, Jerry Mungadze, who said he met Walker's alternate personalities, or "alters," during their sessions. "They will come out and say, I am so-and-so. I'm here to tell you Herschel is not doing too good," Mungadze said. " ... When he finishes, it would just disappear back in him, and Herschel comes out." Walker and his ex-wife, Cindy Grossman, were married for 16 years before she knew about his illness, she said. "Well, now it makes perfect sense, because each personality has a different interest," Grossman told "Nightline". "This one has an interest in ballet, this one has an interest in the Marines, this one had an interest [in the] FBI, this one had an interest in sports. "There was also a very sweet, lovable [personality]. That's the one he told me I married. He told me I didn't marry Herschel," said Grossman, who later in the interview recalled a conversation with Walker, "and the next thing I knew, he just kind of raged and he got a gun and put it to my temple." When the topic of the book was revealed in January, Walker's father -- plus a former teammate and Vince Dooley, Walker's coach at Georgia -- met the revelation with shock. "I know him better than anybody 'cause I raised him," Willis Walker Sr. told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time. "This is my first knowing about that." Walker said he hoped "Breaking Free" will help change the public's image of DID and help others afflicted with the disorder. "DID is not 'Sybil' or 'Three Faces of Eve.' DID is just an illness that people are dealing with," he said. In the book, he wrote, "I feel the greatest achievement of my life will be to tell the world my truth."

04-14-2008, 06:03 PM	#11
Pseudofool Cynic at Large Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: The Kingdom of Solipsism Posts: 2,886 Adopt-a-Bronco: Me?	Just saw the ABC News interview. He seems ok. I guess he doesn't remember recieving the Heismann or threatening his ex-wife. Seems pretty humble. I say we trade the draft for him, now that he's got his head on straight. Last edited by Pseudofool; 04-14-2008 at 06:07 PM..

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04-14-2008, 12:32 PM	#2
alkemical Guerrilla Ontologist rorrim\|mirror Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Future Posts: 42,696 Adopt-a-Bronco: Prima Materia	Wow, i hope he's ok. I don't mean to joke, and maybe many of you know what i mean - but i have days where i feel like philosophical clav, silly clav, i'm-going-to-ram-this-bottle-in-your-f'n-skull clav, etc. Now, if each one of his "identities" had different "names", etc - that's tough.

04-14-2008, 01:54 PM	#3
NaptownChief Donkeys Nightmare Football Pimp Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 7,490	He has recently got into MMA....He is still in great shape and knowing that he isn't exactly balanced certainly would bring a level of intimidation to the ring with him.

04-14-2008, 04:22 PM	#4
NYBronco Ring of Famer Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 2,994	"Well, now it makes perfect sense, because each personality has a different interest," Grossman told "Nightline". "This one has an interest in ballet, this one has an interest in the Marines, this one had an interest [in the] FBI, this one had an interest in sports. Yikes, I have interests in the Broncos, music, building renovation, solar, wind and hydro power, food, micro brewed beers, cars, plants, money, sleep, women, time away from work, mountains, skiing, racquetball, my son and daughter, holidays, holidays, lots of snow, driving the back roads, sightseeing...

04-14-2008, 04:40 PM	#5
DomCasual The Dude abides. Shameless Homer Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Cocytus Posts: 13,173 Adopt-a-Bronco: Gus Frerotte	It makes sense. I think the Vikings were thinking they were getting several guys when they traded the Cowboys the foundation for a bunch of Lombardis.

04-14-2008, 04:42 PM	#6
DomCasual The Dude abides. Shameless Homer Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Cocytus Posts: 13,173 Adopt-a-Bronco: Gus Frerotte	Hey, it just occurred to me. Does anyone think AmesJ/clavicalsolomoniscabiscuitmortimer might actually be several of Herschel Walker's personalities? Think about it. Has anyone here every seen them together? I didn't think so.

04-14-2008, 04:46 PM	#7
rovolution Ring of Famer Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 2,949 Adopt-a-Bronco: None	Probably still angry that Jerry turned him into a Dynasty and didnt want that to be everyones everlasting memory of him.

04-14-2008, 05:02 PM	#9
broncosteven The Kranz Dictum MWA: Flight Director Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tranquility Base Posts: 29,059 Adopt-a-Bronco: MONEYBALL #38	A good RB needs to be a little bit of Ballet Dancer, Bob sledder, Raging menopauseal Female, Marine...not sure about FBI agent or tranny but the other personalities would help on the field. J/k aside wish him the best.

04-14-2008, 05:42 PM	#10
CBF1 Ring of Famer No avatar is the new avatar Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: SoCal Posts: 14,907 Adopt-a-Bronco: Jack Del rio	CBF1 saids he is not too surprised by the news. CBF1 hopes for a full recovery for Herchel.

04-14-2008, 07:05 PM	#12
Taco John 24/7 Broncos In Elway I Trust Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 49,708 Adopt-a-Bronco: Peyton Manning	I think we should give up a couple of second day draft picks for him so that we get to see Angry SoCal come out.

04-14-2008, 07:45 PM	#15
Punisher ® You Tell The NFL! We're coming for That Belt! WOOOOO® Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Broncos Video Vault Posts: 6,629 Adopt-a-Bronco: i4jelway7	Thats some real **** multiple personalities,he must of been holding alot of things inside.That can drive a man crazy....

04-14-2008, 11:06 PM	#16
alkemical Guerrilla Ontologist rorrim\|mirror Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Future Posts: 42,696 Adopt-a-Bronco: Prima Materia	Maybe he's one of the montauk boys....

04-15-2008, 10:11 AM	#19
Merlin Ring of Famer Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,798	As of yet there is no tangible proof of multiple personalties. The "diagnosis" was in vogue in the 90s and began to really be challenged in the early 2000s. I'm surprised it has surfaced again. I would imagine there will be some article in the near future critical of the diagnosis.

04-15-2008, 12:22 PM	#21
Dendave Ring of Famer Echo Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Detroit, Michigan Posts: 1,081	I got his autograph in the early 80 when he ran in a track meet at the Silverdome...I wonder which personality signed it?