Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs running back, will miss Thursday’s season opener against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Kansas City Chiefs have placed running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the reserve/non-football illness list for Thursday’s season opener against the Baltimore Ravens, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.
As a result, Edwards-Helaire will miss at least the first four regular-season games, not just the Ravens game.
According to SI, Edwards-Helaire is listed on the Kansas City Chiefs’ unofficial injury report as having an illness.
“We’re just kind of playing it by ear and how he feels,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “He started feeling better the day of the game and then felt quite good yesterday, so we’re on the right track here. It’s a sensitive situation, and we’re learning as we go.”
Edwards-Helaire, 25, recently spoke out about his issues with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a “self-defense” incident in 2018, which has caused him to miss practice and even a preseason game this year. The fifth-year player also defended a teenager during a shooting at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade earlier this year, earning him a Heroism Award from the Uvalde Foundation for Children.
“The only person who kind of put me in the right direction was Julie Frymeyer [Chiefs assistant athletic trainer/physical therapist] early on, to get me some of the meds at the time when I am going through an episode to get me over that hump,” according to Edwards-Helaire. “But it’s very serious dehydration, and I’m losing weight quickly, but it’s really just a mental thing, not being present.
“It’s one of those things where early on, guys who kind of pay attention — Trav [Travis Kelce], Kadarius [Toney] at times — they’ll know ahead of time, like, ‘Okay, Clyde’s not laughing, he’s not giggling, he’s not himself, we’ve just gotta make sure we’re checking in on him as the person.'”
Edwards-Helaire, a former first-round choice from LSU, has ran for 1,845 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 4.2 yards per attempt over his career. He used to be an impact player, but Isiah Pacheco has recently surpassed him. In fact, he played only 17 snaps in the AFC Championship Game against the Ravens and four snaps in Super Bowl 58.
Regardless of his status as a player, one hopes that Edwards-Helaire gets the help he needs to live his best life.