On message boards, articles, and blogs all over the Internet, I’ve read some disgusting things said about Shawn Andrews. The sick part about this mostly anonymous online harassment of the “The Big Kid” is that it wasn’t just during the period when nobody knew what was going on, a good amount of it came after his public statements that he was indeed suffering from depression. I read posts where people were wishing he would suck it up and get back on the field; and that’s some of the lighter material. It took guts in today’s 24-hour sports world for Shawn Andrews to admit what he did, I don’t care if he wasn’t at camp. Would you want ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, and a million other blogs, newspapers, and sites displaying this intensely personal information? I’m happy he did come to terms with his depression, but I’m almost horrified at the misunderstanding some fans have of his disease.

Even the highest profile types can suffer from depression (Joseph Labolito/WireImage.com)

I used the word disease because that’s exactly what depression is. This isn’t some passing sickness and it certainly isn’t a soft excuse. Depression is a mental disease that leaves a person isolated, alone, and sad. The worst part? There is no reason. When people with depression go into their lows, there is no catalyst that sends them there, no reasons. It’s a mysterious and awful disease to have and it’s not fully understood by a hell of a lot of people. I know people who suffer from depression as I’m sure most people do, unfortunately a good number of the people are close family members. When you are up close to this sickness you see how it can deteriorate a person completely, no matter who that person is.

The person we’re all talking about now is obviously Shawn Andrews. Professional football player. Multi-millionaire. Two-time Pro-Bowl selection. It seems like a sweet life with just about no worries at all. But depression can strike anyone, it goes past race, religion, income, and everything else. People, fans included, are wondering, “How can a guy with all this money be sad? What’s he got to be sad about?” As noted before, there is no reason to depression. What I would want fans to understand is that this is extremely serious; depression can tear lives apart, it can lead to death. Forcing Andrews back on the field is the last thing we should be worrying about. We as Eagles fans are lucky that Max Jean-Gilles is filling in very well so far for Andrews in training camp, but any fan wants the best guard in football in there instead of Jean-Gilles. I admire what Max has done and might continue to do, but Andrews is the answer at the guard spot. However the time he needs and requests should be understood and met.

One thing I am extremely proud of is how the Eagles players have handled the situation, as well as Coach Reid. Sure, the team is fining him each day he doesn’t show up; they have to by NFL rule. And yes, players like fellow lineman John Runyan were very vocal about their displeasure during Andrews no-show. But after finally hearing for themselves why their star guard wasn’t with them, they acted like a football team should: like a band of brothers. In recent interviews, players from skill sets of Brian Westbrook, to Todd Herremans, to L.J. Smith all stood firmly behind their teammate, their friend, and a man they’ve battled with in years past week after week. They know that Shawn Andrews is an intimidating force of a football player and realized he wouldn’t go AWOL for no good reason. But more importantly they understood the gravity of the situation; grasping that this was a very hard thing to come to terms with and go public with as well for Andrews. They expressed sympathy and also wishes that he comes back when hes feeling good and ready to play football.

For once, the game took a back seat for Shawn Andrews these past few weeks (and the months, maybe years he has been dealing with this issue). We all know what this kid can do, big…big things from a big kid. Patience is the ultimate key in this situation. Some people who suffer from depression battle to find the right medicine of choice to balance themselves for years and years. Andrews has apparently taken up some sort of medicine, and to his teammates and Eagles fans joy, he might be back on the field this week. The number one priority though, is for everyone to take a moment, and understand that this crippling mental disease can hit anyone, no matter of celebrity status. Think of Shawn Andrews not just as the best guard in football, but as a human being, trying to right his life at age 25.