Former Ohio State football lineman Harry Miller continues work after medical retirement
Despite not being on Ohio State football's roster heading into the 2022 season, Harry Miller is still putting in work.
The former Buckeye offensive lineman tweeted that he had lost 60 pounds since March 31 and is 260 pounds after four months of training, and that he had "finally achieved" a sub six-minute mile.
"Sic Parvis Magna," Miller tweeted, quoting Sir Francis Drake, which translates to "Thus great things from small things."
Miller, a former five-star offensive lineman in Ohio State's 2019 class, announced March 11 he would medically retire from football due to mental health concerns after contemplating suicide.
260 lbs (-60 from March 31). 4 months of training and finally achieved a sub 6 minute mile. Sic Parvis Magna. pic.twitter.com/HvmKp6BTiz
— Harry Miller (@h_miller76) August 1, 2022
In a Twitter statement, Miller said that prior to the 2021 season, he told Ohio State coach Ryan Day of his intention to kill himself.
“He immediately had me in touch with Dr. Candice (Williams) and Dr. (Josh) Norman, and I received the support I needed. After a few weeks, I tried my luck at football once again, with scars on my wrists and throat.
“…There was a dead man on the television set, but nobody knew it.
”At the time, I would rather be dead than a coward. I'd rather be nothing at all, than have to explain everything that was wrong. I was planning on being reduced to my initials on a back of a helmet."
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Day, whose father died by suicide when he was 8, has made adolescent mental health a passion project off the field, adding a staff of psychologists to the Ohio State football staff to help players with mental health issues.
“He certainly wasn't where he is right now a year ago,” Day said of Miller. “He did the work. What we did is put structures in place to help him and to help all our players. Just like if somebody tears their ACL or sprains their ankle. They need physical therapy. There are guys who need some work in the mental area, and that's really what happened.”
The Buford, Georgia native started at left guard for the Buckeyes in 2020 and came into the 2021 season as the projected starter at center. But Miller instead played sparingly throughout 2021, entering the season opener against Minnesota with an injury.
Miller is a two-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete, Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar who carried a 4.0 grade point average as an engineering major.
Since, Miller has been an advocate for mental health, leading to similar statements from athletes across the country.
“People have called me brave, but to me, it just felt like not dying," Miller said on NBC's "Today" show March 21. "It felt like being honest. Maybe bravery is just being honest when it would be easier not to, and if that's bravery, then so be it. I’ve just been really grateful to have received the help I have and to have learned some things I can share with others.”
How to seek help
If you or someone you know is experiencing a behavioral health crisis or suicidal thoughts, you can reach Ohio's 24/7 Crisis Text Line by texting 4HOPE to 741741, or call the Franklin County Suicide Prevention Hotline at 614-221-5445; the Teen Suicide Prevention Hotline at 614-294-3300; or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255/TALK (1-888-628-9454 for Spanish speakers).
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Harry Miller, former OSU OL, continues work after medical retirement
