Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire just became a champion in an entirely different way

Kansas City Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire is already a two-time Super Bowl champion. Following Thursday's training camp practice, he became a champion in an entirely different way.

At the end of July, Edwards-Helaire took to X (formerly Twitter) to reveal his ongoing struggles with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) . He thanked the staff in Kansas City for helping him manage getting through what he described as, "some tough times." After practice on Thursday, Edwards-Helaire opened up about his struggles and suddenly became a champion and advocate for others who also struggle with PTSD.

"December 22, 2018," Edwards-Helaire told reporters. "That's the day my best friend and I had a self-defense situation and I will say that's probably where the majority of things stem from, but I wouldn't necessarily say everything stemmed from that."

What happened that day? On Dec. 22, 2018, when Edwards-Heliare was a student at LSU, he and fellow LSU LB Jared Small met 18-year-old Kobe Johnson to sell an electronic device. Things turned violent when Johnson attempted to rob Edwards-Helaire and Small. Johnson was shot and killed in the incident. DA Hillar Moore later ruled that the two LSU athletes acted in self-defense , but the situation left Edwards-Helaire with what he'd later come to know as PTSD.

"It happened at such a young age, my first couple years, you just try to block everything out and, like, 'Oh, at some point, I'm gonna get over it,'" He said. "And you start to realize that just doesn't happen. You get older and you realize no matter the age, no matter the person, no matter the situation that everyone needs help at some point. It's just being able to kind of step up and know this is the help I need, or this is what I need to ask for."

Edwards-Helaire sought help, at first, speaking with his mother and father. His mom was in the military, and his father was a former Marine and Ex-Cop. They communicated back and forth. Edwards-Helaire's father sent him books about how to cope with what he was dealing with. He found a support system in his family, but he also found a support system through his team - The Kansas City Chiefs.

Edwards-Helaire credits Julie Frymeyer and Rick Burkholder for their support in getting him the help and treatment he needs.

"Anything that I need, I just kind of communicate to them," Edwards-Helaire said. "Let them know, just kind of how I'm feeling. . . So it's more of just having different mechanisms of coping, and having people to talk to who actually know or, you know, could could help me through those situations."

The veteran running back says that he's even connected with some of the team's security staff, those who are veterans or former law enforcement to exchange experiences and help each other. He's also found support in his teammates like Isiah Pacheco and Travis Kelce, who he says both know instantly the days when he's struggling with his PTSD.

PTSD for Edwards-Helaire doesn't just come with mental challenges, but also its physical challenges. You might have noticed that Edwards-Helaire has often been listed with an illness on Chiefs injury reports during recent years as he was ahead of Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers . That's because his specific brand of PTSD comes with something called cyclic vomiting syndrome.

"I have PTSD and cyclic vomiting syndrome," Edwards-Helaire said. "So, it's something that has kind of, neurologically that they just kind of helped me with and walk through it. And I mean, I've sometimes been admitted to the hospital. Sometimes I can't stop throwing up."

He's dealt with severe dehydration and dropping weight really fast as a result of the illness, which can make things challenging at times for a professional athlete. However, the fifth-year veteran perseveres. He knows he won't be at his best every day, but he also knows that he has the support system in place to get through it, one step at a time. At the end of the day, he's just a 25-year-old trying to live a healthy life.

As far as advice to those out there who also struggle with PTSD, Edwards-Helaire offered words of hope. He says the best thing they can do is to be open and have the courage to discuss it with others.

"Honestly, it just takes the courage to talk about it, and having PTSD and dealing with it," Edwards-Helaire said. "Once people kind of bring it up, it's not something that I always want to talk about, because I never really know how my body will react or my mind. . . So I feel like talking is a big thing, but it's just getting over that hump. Personally, being able to know that everybody goes through things good (and) bad, just being able to cope with (the bad) and know everybody's human. . . "

Related: Chiefs training camp observations Day 10: Rookie WR Xavier Worthy is learning, not struggling