Episode 97: Calvin Anderson

In this deeply personal and unguarded episode of At the Podium, NFL offensive tackle Calvin Anderson of the Pittsburgh Steelers takes us beyond the glare of the Monday night lights and the mythology of professional football to deal with the truth about the year 2023 — a year that nearly cost him his life.

While traveling with his wife in Africa, Calvin contracted a virulent and strain of malaria that brought him to the edge of survival. In real time, he had to face the reality that he might die. It was with the advocacy and intuition of his wife that Calvin survived and was able to start the long, painful, and uncertain recovery that would put him back on the football field. But just as he fought his way back into playing condition, just as he dared to hope that the worst was behind him, he suffered a rare heart contusion from a hit on the field. Once again life and circumstances brought him to a place of physical, emotional and spiritual pause.

What began as a season defined by such promise and optimism became a profound test of Calvin’s endurance, faith, and mental fortitude. It was a year that broke him open and demanded that he rebuild not just his body, but his understanding of himself and what it means to be whole.

This is Calvin’s story of what saved him when everything fell apart — and how breaking down became the beginning of rebuilding his mental health, his identity, and his life far beyond the game of professional football.