Bussin' With The Boys — Robert Gallery Shares The Mental Toll Of Football & Healing After NFL Career With Raiders

Episode Date: November 18, 2025
Guest: Robert Gallery
Hosts: Will Compton & Taylor Lewan
Runtime: ~2.5 hours

Overview

This episode features a deep and honest conversation with Robert Gallery, former #2 overall NFL draft pick and Raiders offensive lineman, focusing on the mental and physical toll of professional football and his journey toward healing after his career. Gallery shares unfiltered stories about pressure, injuries, struggles with mental health post-NFL, and his life-altering experiences with psychedelic-assisted therapy. The Boys and Gallery dive into masculinity, identity after sports, suicide ideation, brain injury, family dynamics, and hope for other athletes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Robert Gallery's Early Football Journey

[42:10–59:00]

• Grew up in small-town Iowa, played at Iowa alongside his older brother, was around the program since childhood.
• Not heavily recruited; only had four offers (Iowa, Iowa State, Purdue, Northwestern).
• Came to Iowa as a 230-lb. tight end, switched to offensive tackle as a freshman.
• Rapid physical development: Bulked up to 320 lbs. through intense strength programs.
• Describes Coach Kirk Ferentz as genuine, consistent, and instrumental in his growth:

  “He hasn’t changed since 1999… just the most steady, genuine person you’ve ever met.” — Gallery [50:35]

2. Athleticism & College Glory

[62:00–70:05]

• Gallery was initially not NFL-focused, just “in the moment.” It wasn’t until after a breakout junior year and a conversation with Ferentz that he realized he was a top prospect.
• Shared the immense pressure and perfectionism that came once expectations and NFL draft talk entered the picture.

  “I could have 69 of 70 plays on film…I dominated… and had one bad one and it would ruin it for me. I’m supposed to be the guy that’s perfect, and it’s so unrealistic, but that’s how my mind [worked].” — Gallery [59:39]

3. NFL Transition & Raiders Years

[74:37–80:04]

• Drafted 2nd overall by the Oakland Raiders (after the Eli/Rivers/Chargers trade).
• Early years marked by joy in simply playing and getting paid, despite persistent team losing.
• Experienced five head coaches in seven years—a constant cycle of “starting over.”
• Pressure and performance expectations intensified by media, fans, and internal standards.
• Gallery describes the “weed out the weak” NFL environment and masking injuries:

  “You want to do well. But it was…I’ll admit I struggled that year… trying to do it a certain way, didn’t work… and I did not play well… media is coming on…and you want to win—and you don’t want to year after year be starting over.” [77:10]

4. Mental Toll, Injuries, & Masking Pain

[89:17–97:20]

• Began to suffer physically and mentally after years of surgeries, painkillers (Percocet, Toradol), and playing through trauma.
• Describes self-medicating with alcohol and pills (“30 beers and three Percocets” after a game [94:18]), normalized by NFL culture.
• Acknowledges the abusive pattern, but rationalized by the pressure to provide and play.
• Recounts mood swings, rage outbreaks at home, and growing darkness—culminating in an eventual breakdown:

  “I remember sitting down, and she’s like ‘are you okay?’ And I just start bawling, and I’m like, ‘I need help.’ Like, all this stuff had been going through my head… I thought I was losing my mind.” [103:14]

5. Reaching Rock Bottom and Identity Loss

[99:00–109:35]

• Post-retirement identity crisis:

  “Now you’re home and you’re watching your buddies still play… you try to figure out, what am I now?”

• Struggled with severe depressive episodes, suicidal ideation, and immense inward rage.
• Bluntly discusses moments of feeling like a burden and planning his death, feeling his family would be "better off" without him.

  “I wanted to be better. I was aware of this... When it started happening, that's when I reached out for help, and that's what started the journey.” [108:48]

6. The Turning Point: Brain Scan & Seeking Help

[106:11–110:04]

• Underwent a brain scan through a worker’s comp case, which confirmed massive damage.
• Emotional relief:

  “My wife is crying… and I’m laughing—she’s like, what the fuck are you laughing at? I’m not crazy. This is the reason.” [106:12]

• Received a diagnosis suggestive of CTE; neurologists warned him he’d become “a statistic” (i.e., suicide) without action.
• Began using every tool recommended: hyperbaric chamber, IV infusions, therapy, sleep, meditation—anything in hopes of getting better.

7. Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: Ibogaine & DMT

[120:22–157:19]

• Found hope through Marcus Luttrell’s podcast, learned about ibogaine therapy, and with help from VetSolutions, joined a group session in Mexico with high-profile veterans.
• Underwent a profound 12-hour ibogaine experience and 5-MeO-DMT session, both physically and psychologically grueling.

“I went to the white light…my God is there and I’m talking to God. I lose it—I’m like, I’m a failure, a terrible father, a terrible husband, send me to hell. And then it was just calm and this weight was lifted off.” [142:04]

• Immediate clarity, loss of rage, no anxiety, no desire for alcohol, and a drastic return of presence and self-control. The ringing in his ears vanished, brain fog cleared.
• Realized the journey isn’t a “magic pill” but provided tools and a new capacity for handling mental health and life.

8. Relapse, Second Treatment, & Sustainable Healing

[151:15–157:19]

• Four months of near-perfect relief, then gradual return of some symptoms; a second treatment (2023) revealed new insights.
• In one vision, saw the devastation his suicide would have caused his family:

  “I died...I saw what it did to my family... Now, I know, no matter what, on my worst day, I’m better off here. My family needs me.” [152:20]

• Now has tools, resilience, and clarity—accepts “normal” negative emotions, but is aware and doesn’t spiral.

9. Advocacy, New Identity & Helping Others

[166:50–173:58]

• Founded Athletes for Care, supporting athletes struggling with post-career issues and connecting them to healing modalities, including ibogaine.
• Describes $50 million in research funding via Texas, promising early science, and the incredible success rate against addiction and suicidal ideation, especially in veterans.
• Stresses the crucial importance of vulnerability and storytelling for breaking stigma among athletes.
• Reveals hope for athlete wives and families as well—his wife is sharing her story too.

10. Revisiting Football, Community & Legacy

[178:36–184:13]

• Relationship to football is much healthier; can now enjoy watching games with his son and appreciates his Iowa legacy with new clarity.
• Expresses pride in his actual accomplishments ("one of eight guys in the ring of honor in Kinnick Stadium" [186:18]), while recognizing that outcome is shaped by many uncontrollable factors.
• Stresses the need to accept the ups and downs:

  “If you gave everything you had to it then there’s nothing to be upset about.” — Taylor Lewan [184:51]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the toll of expectation:

  "Now that. That's a new goal... and anything that affected it would affect me for days and weeks." — Gallery [61:48]

• On self-medicating:

  "30 beers and three Percocet, four Percocet, this is going to make me go to sleep. Right? So something." — Gallery [94:18]

• On the darkness of mental illness:

  "I wanted to strangle her... I was so angry that she changed from wanting to sit in the house inside to outside. And I had no idea why." — Gallery [103:06]

• On finally asking for help:

  “I just start bawling, and I'm like, I need help. Like, because all this stuff had been going through my head and I hadn't told her...I thought I was losing my mind.” [103:14]

• On psychedelic therapy:

  "It melts you into the floor...I felt like I was up in space, like, with all these lights coming at me...a continual movie of my life.” [136:31]

• On DMT and ego death:

  “I experienced death...I saw God...and then it was just calm and this weight was lifted off me...and then it was this overwhelmingly peaceful feeling…this negative self talk was gone.” [142:04]

• On the biggest takeaway:

  "On my worst day, I’m still better off here. My family needs me. And so that's what this experience showed me." [156:10]

• On being present in life:

  “There’s been instances where I’ve been in the moment for days on end... to be able to just be in the moment with whatever’s going on... that’s everything.” [191:34]

Important Timestamps

| Segment | Description | |---------|-------------| | 42:10 | Robert Gallery joins, Big Ten memories, upbringing & Iowa roots | | 50:35 | Praise for Kirk Ferentz, Iowa strength program, position switch | | 59:39 | Pressure & perfectionism after NFL expectations increased | | 74:37 | NFL draft, Oakland Raiders chaos, playing through pain | | 89:17 | Cumulative surgeries, masking pain, and emergence of mental health symptoms | | 94:18 | Drinking/Painkiller self-medication after games | | 99:00 | Loss of NFL identity, anger at home, rock bottom moment, suicidal ideation | | 103:14 | Breaks down to wife, asks for help | | 106:11 | Brain scan confirms damage — huge relief: “I’m not crazy” | | 120:22 | Discovery of ibogaine & VetSolutions, commitment to try psychedelics | | 136:31 | Ibogaine trip: “continual movie” of life, discarding trauma, embracing positive| | 142:04 | DMT/ego death: “I experienced death…I was at peace…negative self-talk was gone” | | 148:47 | Reintegration, new presence, sustainable healing and relapse, second treatment | | 166:50 | Advocacy: Athletes for Care, Texas research, outreach to athletes | | 191:34 | Final question: What would Gallery do anything for? “To live in the moment” |

The Boys’ Tone & Episode Flow

• Candid, unguarded, and empathetic: This is among the most vulnerable and personal episodes of "Bussin' With The Boys," with frequent moments of dark humor, emotional storytelling, and honest admissions.
• The conversation covers both light (football tall tales, locker-room culture, playful banter) and deeply serious—pain, medication, rage, family fear, and confronting death.
• The Boys create a safe environment while prodding for real talk:

  "I'm glad you asked it because I'm thinking, I wonder how I can ask it." — Taylor on asking blunt suicide question [109:01]

Final Thoughts & Takeaways

• Mental health struggles are real and common—even among peak performers and “warriors.” Masking pain and denying problems is destructive.
• Psychedelic-assisted therapy is providing hope and measurable progress for ex-athletes facing issues tied to brain injury and identity loss.
• Gallery’s story is a testament to radical honesty, persistence, and the importance of asking for help.
• Athletes for Care and similar organizations are on the frontlines—other ex-players and families should know they are not alone, and healing is possible.

How To Connect & Get Help

• Athletes for Care: Resources, connections, and support for former pro athletes struggling with health or transition.
• VetSolutions: Psychedelic therapy for veterans, accepting inquiries from athletes.
• In Waves and War (Netflix documentary) — covers ibogaine and similar healing journeys.

If you are struggling or know someone who is, resources are available: Don't suffer in silence.