Jaden Gault was one of the most talked about members of the 2014 football recruiting class for the Wisconsin Badgers. He graduated early and was supposed to compete for playing time right off the bat.
Except that didn’t exactly happen for the freshman from Monona Grove. Instead he had surgery on his knee and now the Wisconsin State Journal is reporting that Gault is taking a leave from the football team.
With all the changes happening in his life and the unexpected injury, Gault became severely depressed and is seeking out help for that depression.
“I was almost like a zombie,” Gault said, via at the Wisconsin State Journal. “I was getting kind of hopeless. I didn’t feel like doing anything or being there at all. I just wanted to check out. I wanted to just be done with life. Being in that kind of stage, you really have no other options in your head at that time.”
According to the article, Gault began battling depression in February and had another bought with it in March, leading to his current leave from football. He is still set to attend classes this fall, but is going to take a redshirt on the football field to deal with his condition.
The athletic department and football team have been fully supportive of Gault in his battle with depression and will welcome him back with open arms when he’s ready according to the article.
Perhaps the best bit of news is that Gault is putting in the work to get better and is seeing improvement in himself.
“I’m making a lot of progress, I think. I’m doing better now,” Gault said. “The big thing right now is just getting back into a schedule. Right now I’m not in classes, and come fall it’s going to be a full schedule.
“I’ve been doing some things to personally try to get my mind right again, and I’m definitely doing a lot better than I was when I took a leave from the team.”
We here at MadTownBadgers wish Gault nothing but the best, whether or not he steps foot on the Camp Randall turf again. Gault is set to take a full class load this fall and will determine his status with the football team following the semester, but there is no rush to bring him in to the fold if he isn’t ready.
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