Brooks Admits Anxiety Problem

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - Just hours after head coach Doug Pederson tried to deflect the situation, Eagles starting right guard Brandon Brooks admitted he was recently diagnosed with a serious anxiety problem.

The condition manifests itself in a physical sense as well which has forced Brooks to miss two of the past three games when he was stricken on the morning of each game.

"What I mean by anxiety condition, not nervousness or fear of the game," the big man said at his locker after practice on Wednesday. "I have like an obsession with the game. It's an unhealthy obsession right now, and I'm working with team doctors and things to get everything straightened out and getting the help that I needed."

Brooks came to the conclusion that he "couldn't defeat it myself" after his falling ill on Nov. 28 in advance of the game against the Green Bay Packers.

Since then he has started on medication but that takes time to readjust the system which explains why Brooks suffered another episode before the Redskins game last Sunday.

Brooks, who signed a monster five-year, $40 million contract with the Eagles in free agency back in the offseason, did miss two games with similar symptoms while playing for the Houston Texans.

It’s a familiar feeling for Brooks, who wakes up violently ill very early in the morning and the condition generally lasts a full 24 hours.

"For the longest [time], I thought it was an ulcer. I thought it was something physical in my stomach," Brooks explained. "So I didn't know it could possibly be something else. I would get sick once, maybe twice a year."

Brooks said both the Eagles organization and his teammates have been very supportive and the veteran, who has played very well this season when on the field, deserves plenty of credit for clearing up a murky situation.

"Well, one, I'm an honest guy, and I'm going to tell you what's going on," Brooks said. "Two, it's nothing I'm ashamed of. I'll get the help that I need and life will go on. I'll be fine, career will be fine."

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen