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Bodie Neal

@bodieneal

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WEEK 6: 🦬 VS Southeastern 38-24 see 📸 link in bio

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WEEK 5: 🦬 PREGAME 💪 see 📸 link in bio

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WEEK 5: 🦬 VS East Central 42-21 🐅see 📸 link in bio

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WEEK 4: 🦬 VS OBU 28-27 see 📸 link in bio

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WEEK 3: 🦬 VS SAU 52-21 see 📸 link in bio + HBD🎂#0

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Solid Summer

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junior year ✔️

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Medically retiring from football has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever faced. It’s hard to put into words what this game meant to me. Without it, I don’t know where I’d be.

Throughout Highschool, I was a quiet kid. I didn’t have a lot of friends. I wasn’t the one getting invited to things. A lot of the time, I felt like I didn’t really belong anywhere. But when I put that uniform on, everything changed. That’s when people saw me. That’s when I felt like I mattered. That’s when I became the version of myself I was always searching for.

Football wasn’t just a game to me, it was where I found confidence, purpose, and a place I truly belonged. I’m blessed for everything it gave me, playing for a historic program, setting state and national records, earning Gatorade Player of the Year, and playing Division I football. But more than anything, I’m thankful for my teammates, my brothers, and the memories we made at Shiloh. That brotherhood meant everything to me. But these past three years have been a real mental health battle. I’ve been in some dark places.

Injuries took the game away from me, and with it, a part of who I was. It felt like I never got the chance to truly show who I am. It’s hard to say goodbye to something you feel like you still have so much left to give. There were a lot of late nights crying. A lot of lonely nights. Nights where I didn’t know if I’d make it to the next morning. When I was injured, it felt like I didn’t exist. Like without football, I didn’t matter the same way. Football was my outlet. When I felt like I was drowning, it was my life raft. And now it’s gone. I’m still fighting that battle. But I’ll forever be thankful for what this game taught me and for everyone who stood by me along the way.

Through it all, my faith has kept me grounded. I’m thankful for the platform God gave me, and for the grace that continues to shape me every day. Thank you to my family, my teammates, and everyone who truly supported me, not just when I had the uniform on, but when I didn’t.
I’ll never take it for granted.

Don’t be afraid to reach out for help if you are struggling.

Until next time.

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Forever grateful for this game and all the relationships it has brought me these last 18 years

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If it were up to me, it would never end.

To the game that brought all my greatest friends and memories, I am forever thankful.

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1k

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Receiving core 🦬

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J Grump??

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