AFAIK this statement is 100% wrong. The Architeuthis, while slow moving, looked totally healthy to the diver and bystanders that looked at it, as well as to this amateur teuthologist (look it up). It sprayed some ink and did exploratory movements with its tentacles that suggested it was confused rather than sick, and while docile, moved on its own throughout all the (five) different videos I saw. Almost certainly a juvenile, it is nonetheless in much warmer and lighter waters that where it lives, which would explain the constricted size of the eyes. The mottled colors are just one of many looks this awesome animal presents to the world, reflecting stress perhaps but not an indication of ill health at all.