After leaving the ISU football team Sept. 4, offensive lineman Jacob Gannon has made the decision to rejoin the team. 

When he left the team 11 days ago, Gannon said that it was for personal reasons. 

“I have been recently diagnosed with anxiety,” Gannon said in a release from the athletic department. “I am receiving treatment for my condition and I am looking forward to being a part of the football team. I want to thank Coach Rhoads and my teammates for their support.”

Gannon said he experienced an anxiety attack during practice Sept. 3. He said the attack made him think he hated football, which led to his departure from the team.

Dr. Marc Shulman, physician for the ISU athletic department, explained what goes through a person’s mind when having a panic attack.

“Picture yourself in a room with no air and a window at the far end and you will do anything you can to break through that window to get to the air,” Shulman said. “You kind of shut everything else out … that’s really what a panic attack feels like.”

Gannon called offensive line coach Brandon Blaney to seek help from a sports psychologist. Gannon’s parents came to Ames on Sept. 6 and all of them met with Rhoads on Sept. 7 to discuss their options.

“After going to counseling, I realized that football wasn’t the problem,” Gannon said. “The problem was this anxiety.”

Gannon said Rhoads told him to get his condition a little bit more under control as the team prepared for the Cy-Hawk game, so there would be less distractions. Gannon continued to work out and started taking medication before announcing Sept. 15 that he would be rejoining the team.

“Today at practice felt a lot better,” Gannon said. “It was one of the first times in a while that I really enjoyed playing the game because I felt that weight lifted off my shoulders and I remembered why I liked playing football in the first place.”

Gannon said it was “really hard” to watch the Kansas State and Iowa games after leaving the team, but he’s excited to get back on the field. 

Gannon is a three-year letter winner and has started a game in each of his four seasons.