‘I am a fighter’: ex-NFL player on surviving suicide and financial abuse

Erik Kramer, 60, a former player, opens up on his struggle in new podcast The Quarterback and the Con Woman

In a span of five years, beginning in 2015, the former National Football League quarterback Erik Kramer tried unsuccessfully to die by suicide, then lost hundreds of thousands of dollars after a woman he secretly married plundered his life's earnings while he struggled to heal.

Kramer nonetheless considers himself an extremely lucky man" and knows his recovery - both mental and physical - has been extraordinary by any definition", he said in an essay shared with the Guardian. Wednesday marks the release of a new documentary podcast aimed at unpacking his remarkable ordeal.

In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org.