Former Lions RB Ameer Abdullah opens up about impact of Lisfranc injury: ‘I was a complete mess’

Ameer Abdullah’s career as a Detroit Lion came to a screeching halt in 2016. After an extremely promising rookie season, in which he racked up nearly 600 rushing yards and 4.2 yards per carry, Abdullah suffered a Lisfranc injury in the second game of his sophomore year in the NFL. He never seemed to fully recover in Detroit, and his fate was sealed when the Lions moved up in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft to grab his replacement, Kerryon Johnson.

Since then, Abdullah has moved on to the Minnesota Vikings. Though his career hasn’t recovered quite yet, he does seem happier and healthier. And he’s now ready to open up about his time with the Lions.

Abdullah is starring in a docuseries about his NFL career, and the first episode debuted on Tuesday. In it, he describes the depression that followed his injury.

“September 2016. I thought I lost it all,” Abdullah recalls. “The Lisfranc? Really? I’m a running back and having a jacked-up foot doesn’t exactly play well with my goals of being the best running back that I can be.

“I was a complete mess,” Abdullah admitted as the words “heartbroken,” “depressed,” “alone,” and even “suicidal” come across the screen.

Abdullah would miss the final 15 weeks of the 2016 season, and although he looked like he could regain his speed and elusiveness the following year, he finished with fewer yards than his rookie season and just 3.3 yards per carry.

The emotional toll continued on Abdullah, as the fans that once cheered his name now wanted nothing to do with him.

“Much of the support I once had suddenly vanished,” Abdullah said as the documentary transitioned into a montage of angry Lions fans, several of which called him a “bum.”

But Abdullah ends on a positive note, thanking the experience for giving him the opportunity to change.

“Be grateful for the contrast, because it’s in those moments that we get to redefine ourselves,” Abdullah says.

This is just the first installment of this documentary, so it will be interesting to see how Abdullah “redefines” himself after the Lions decided to release in 2018.

You can watch the short documentary here: