German national team and Hannover goalkeeper Robert Enke committed suicide on Tuesday by throwing himself in front of a speeding train. It is becoming clear from statements made in a note by Enke and his wife that he had suffered for years with depression.

The unfortunate thing is that many who suffer from depression feel like they are alone, that no one really understands what it is like to suffer. Often people retreat into themselves and can feel all by themselves even in a crowded room.

It is uncertain the many things that the 32-year-old Enke must have felt during his life, certainly the tragedy of his 2 year old daughter dying four years ago didn't help. It must have been difficult playing in the shadow of Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehmann for so many years.

Being the top keeper must be a dream for any international but I'm sure it must be difficult in countries such as England, Brazil, Argentina and Germany where they have been successful for so long. Maybe the success of the international team weighed on Enke as well? I know we will never know everything that ran through his mind.

We should however turn our attention to the mental aspects of the game. For young players, the stress and the demands of the game should be something that needs to be examined. While some players make act out because of the stress, others may end up sinking into themselves and may not "act right."

I don't think Enke did the right thing and I'm not glorifying suicide, it certainly isn't the solution to every problem. It is just a means to an end. Enke wanted things to end but sadly it wasn't the best way to do it, it was just his way of doing it. I don't believe we should criticize him at this point, he wasn't clearly thinking. I think there are many lessons to be learned from Robert Enke's life.

Life is too short, people that we love may suffer from things that they can't always explain and we need to be supportive of those who suffer, even if they suffer in silence. Depression is real, and it's not something to be taken lightly. As we move on from this tragedy, we should never forget these lessons that Enke's life taught us. If it helps us to realize that everyone suffers, then I hope that Enke knows that he touched us all in some way.

Jonathan Sager

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