Mozes Mooney has battled depression and anxiety. Photo Courtesy: Mozes Money)
Many think Division I athletes have it all, with nothing to worry about. In the case of Mozes Mooney, that could not have been further from the truth.
Mooney graduated high school in 2018 and started his college football career at Columbia University in New York City. Mooney suffered from appendicitis in his freshman year and returned in the spring after taking a leave of absence, as he also had a partial tear in his meniscus.
On top of all of that, it was “a lot for me to be so far from home in San Diego, California." Mooney explained that he has suffered from depression and anxiety since fifth grade.
His anxiety attacks came back during his time at Columbia, but he continued to put football first instead of going to receive help. “It got to the point where I felt everything else was the problem, and I wasn’t the problem when I actually had some things that I needed to work on,” Mooney explained.
During Mooney’s sophomore year at Columbia, he was rotating in and out as a redshirt freshman before realizing he needed a break from football. “In week three or four, I had a panic attack on the sideline during the game. I believed that changed my life at first for the worst, but now for the better by advocating for myself and being honest with what I am going through,” Mooney mentioned.
Mooney also talked about how it got to the point where he was skipping class and only wanted to get out of bed to go to football practices or games. This is when Mooney realized he needed to step away from the game for a little bit. When the 2019 season concluded, Mooney left Columbia as he was frustrated and had doubts about himself.
Mooney explained that he has a strong support system with friends, counselors, and high school teachers. Mooney has not lived with his parents since he was a sophomore in high school, as they moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, but he opted to stay in San Diego and moved in with friends so he did not have to change schools. Mooney wound up moving to Columbia, further distancing himself from his parents.
Mooney also mentioned how he had an interesting relationship with his father. “He was very hard on me because he wanted me to do well, and I am grateful for that. But there were times where he wanted me to do one thing that I didn’t, and at times it was too much. I believe being on my own helped me because I became my own person,” Mooney explained.
Mooney wound up transferring to UC Davis, who had originally recruited him while he was still in high school. “I was in a dark place, and they still offered me to play DI football and get a good education. The problem was I didn’t yet fix all my problems from Columbia because I thought it was all because of Columbia.”
Mooney got to UC Davis right when the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world and pushed their football season to the spring. Mooney wound up isolated in his apartment for the whole school year.
Looking back at it, Mooney wishes he would have waited instead of rushing into the transfer portal, afraid that no other opportunities would come up. “I was deeply upset with myself for a long time because they took time to invest in me and I wasn’t ready,” Mooney said. Mooney completed his school year at UC Davis online and then took a gap year as he was unsure about his future.
Mooney went back to San Diego to coach high school football. That led to people asking if he would ever return to playing, which sparked his interest again. Mooney had DI offers last spring from Holy Cross and Sacred Heart but did not feel he was ready.
Fast-forward to this past summer when the newly hired Dean College football coach, Andrae Murphy, reached out to Mooney. Murphy knew Mooney from his time at Columbia and wanted to gauge his interest in attending Dean. At the time, the highest-level football opportunity offered to Mooney was at the Division II level after speaking to schools at all levels, including the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Mooney chose Dean College despite never visiting the campus or knowing any players there. “I previously would have been terrified of not having visited or not knowing anyone, but I was ready to take control again. Even if I was to fail, at least I tried,” Mooney explained, “I knew I wasn’t getting back into football for myself because I knew it forced me to go back to school, and playing football was something I was losing the battle against since I had negative experiences with it before. I have two younger brothers who look up to me, and I wasn’t okay with them asking why things went wrong, why I gave up, and I didn’t want to be a quitter. I wanted to be somewhere where I could make an impact on and off the field,” Mooney continued.
“Looking back at it, I would tell myself before anything happens to be proactive and ask questions or seek out help. I should have been doing things before it happened instead of waiting,” Mooney said.
Mooney has played multiple positions on both sides of the ball since he started playing football. In youth football, Mooney played quarterback, running back, linebacker, wide receiver, and safety. Mooney played quarterback and wide receiver in seventh grade and retook eighth grade because he stayed home due to high anxiety, which allowed him to play quarterback more. In high school, Mooney played wide receiver and safety.
“I wish I took defense more seriously. I think since I understand offense, it made defense easier,” Mooney mentioned.
Mooney always knew he could play quarterback but wasn’t sure about it at the DI level, and he did not take learning the position seriously. However, since Dean had quarterbacks hurt and the team had been struggling, they gave Mooney a chance to start after the bye week earlier this season.
Mooney had a great game in only his second collegiate game at quarterback recently at Alfred State College, where he was 28-34 for 295 yards, three touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns of his own. Mooney won the Offensive Player of the Week award and the prestigious Gold Helmet Award from the New England Football Writers Association.
“Those awards coming during the week of our first win speaks to how much other guys care because it is easy to give up and wait for the season to end.”
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