Isaiah Williams opens up on overcoming depression by ignoring lies before rise as Jets returner

Jets kick return specialist Isaiah Williams fields some training camp Q&A from Post NFL columnist Steve Serby.Text with Brian Costello all season as he brings Sports+ subscribers the latest Jets intel from on the field and off.

Q: Do the doubters you’ve had all your life motivate you even now?A: I would say back then it most definitely motivated me.I remember when I was in college, coming in as a big-time recruit as a quarterback at the University of Illinois, had a lot of expectations, and I remember I was just in so much social media and I just used to see everything.

Like, I used to see, like, “Oh, he’s not this, he’s not that.” I used to, like, literally screen shot all the tweets, and at one point I made it my screen saver (smile).At the time, I would say it motivated me somewhat to prove them wrong, but I think at this point in my life, I don’t really look to prove anybody right or wrong.

So no matter what people say or don’t say, it don’t really bother me.It don’t bother me if people say, “You’re the greatest thing since sliced bread,” or, “You’re the worst player I ever seen.” It don’t really bother me because I know why I do what I do now.

It’s for the man up above, to give God the glory.Q: But at one time it did bother you, right?A: It most definitely did bother me, and it motivated me.But I quickly learned, for me, it wasn’t something that was consistent.

’Cause then if that’s what you live for, to prove somebody wrong, what’s gonna happen when everybody loves you? Are you gonna still have that same edge, are you still gonna have that same fire? For me in a way, most definitely in my college career, I think it motivated me, and then once I got to the other side of it, and people started telling me like, “Oh you’re good, you could do this,” I think I got a little comfortable.I kind of just try to block out all the outside noise.Q: You said in your “Origins” video that you went through anxiety...