Braden Smith dealt with severe OCD in 2024

In December, the Colts placed right tackle Braden Smith on the non-football illness list. There was no mention of the nature of the illness.

Smith has now gone public with his condition.

Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star has the story. Smith suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, which manifested itself in the form of religious scrupulosity.

After playing 761 snaps in 12 games last season, Smith and his wife decided that he needed professional care.

“I was physically present, but I was nowhere to be found,” Smith told Erickson. “I did not care about playing football. I didn’t care about hanging out with my family, with my wife, with my newborn son. . . . I [felt like I] was a month away from putting a bullet through my brain.”

It started in March 2024, when his Christian beliefs got out of whack.

“There’s the actual, real, true, living God,” Smith told Erickson. “And then there’s my OCD god, and the OCD god is this condemning [deity. It’s like every wrong move you make, it’s like smacking the ruler against his hand. ‘Another bad move like that and you’re out of here.'"

Smith stayed at a facility in Colorado for 48 days. He later went to Mexico for igobaine treatment.

His OCD has moved from severe to mild. And he has returned to the Colts.

“Getting Braden Smith back, and he’s in a great spot,” Colts G.M. Chris Ballard told Erickson. “I think people forget how good Braden is.”

More important than being good, Smith seems to be getting better.

Here's the best part. By sharing his story, Smith could encourage others who are suffering silently to get help.