Witman was born in 1972 to young parents (then 21 and 17)[1] and was raised in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania,[2] a small borough along the Susquehanna River, east of York in the south central part of the state.
[4] From there Witman moved to Penn State and was a member of its 1994 undefeated Rose Bowl-winning Nittany Lions football team, pairing with Brian Milne at the fullback position.
Continuing pain from back and ankle fusion surgeries kept him from daily work and he gave his landscaping business to his brother.
[14] Faced with severe depression, he considered suicide in 2014 but his wife found help through the National Football League Players Association.
[16] In 2020, he was named to the Sunshine State Conference spring honor roll,[17] and in 2021 was on the lacrosse team roster at York College of Pennsylvania.