Penn State kicker opens up about binge eating disorder

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WPVI) -- The kicker on Penn State's football team is opening up about his struggle with binge eating.

He took on his struggle in a treatment center.

Joey Julius is a college football sensation. At nearly 260 pounds, the Penn State kicker's uncanny sizr and powerful hits make his fans go crazy.

But what his fans love more about him - his size - is what he secretly hated.

"I was always calling myself fat, disgusting, lazy, ugly," he said.

It's a secret he recently shared in a stunning Facebook post.

Depressed and anxious, Joey left the team this past spring and checked himself into a treatment center. It was there he discovered why he'd been struggling for the past 11 years.

Joey had binge eating disorder. It's when people lose control over their food intake, including eating large amounts of food at a time, even when you're not hungry and eating fast. It's often done alone.

In the United States alone, 20 million women and 10 million men will suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some point.

"I think being a college athlete pushed me toward that goal of correcting what was wrong with me," said Joey.

For Joey, a typical episode would involve eating a salad in front of his teammates, but then hiding food in his backpack and going back to his room alone He would then order a cheesesteak, fries, and chinese food and start binging until he felt sick.

"I would have to lay down to the point where I was so sick, I couldn't move and just, you know, lay there. And there were some times I would cry," he recalled.

He even had a moment where he thought this could kill him.

"After, I think, I got the treatment. That's when I was like, 'You know what? If I would've continued down this path...." he said.