Being a student-athlete is hard enough, but the pressures of it can sometimes be overwhelming.So how do you know when your athlete is struggling and what can you do to help?Standout high school and college football star turned pro Rondale Moore took his own life in February.The gifted player was loved and admired by many.Suicide among NCAA student-athletes has doubled over the past 20 years and one life lost is too many.The pressure to win. The pressure to rise to the top. The pressure to keep your grades up. Sports have become such an important part of many students’ lives.”Just the pressure to win and how on the field and off the field, academically there’s a lot of pressure they face especially at the college level,” said LaQuisha Moore, licensed mental health counselor.Moore talks about how parents can help their children cope with the pressures of being an athlete.”Focus on positive self-talk, how to talk themselves down from the ledge and reframe… challenge and reframe thinking, just build themselves up. I teach them to be strength-based with themselves,” Moore said.She is also on the board of the 29th and 9th Foundation. It’s a nonprofit founded by former NFL running back and UofL star Bilal Powell.Powell, who retired from the New York Jets, founded the organization because of his own struggles with mental health.”When something is gone that you feel like is a coping tool and you have nowhere to put these emotions and feelings… I kind of went down a dark hole and there was a time in my life to where I almost took my own life,” Powell said.Powell spent nine years in the NFL, playing through injuries and the uncertainty of his career. His mental health took a toll.At one point, Powell says his thoughts turned suicidal and a phone call from his son saved his life.”He never called me. He usually text. So when he called me I felt it was a need to answer that and since that day the biggest message for me is don’t let one day ruin your life and other people around you that love you,” Powell said. “Keep fighting through the hard times. Keep thriving through the hard times.”But it’s much easier said than done.According to the National Institutes of Health, suicide is the second leading cause of death for college athletes behind sudden cardiac arrest.But for professional athletes, there’s been a sharp rise in suicides, specifically among NFL players, where cases have doubled in the last 20 years.”We’re taught as young little guys to come in and play a grown man’s sport because it’s a very physical sport for us,” Powell said. “We gotta learn to be tough. We gotta learn the differences between our injuries… playing through the head injuries, the bruises and the bumps and that carries into your relationships. You close off and it’s hard to decipher through certain emotions.”And as Moore explains, talking about your problems is actually a sign of strength.”Tough is not always suppression and holding things down because that is never good,” she said.To learn more about the 29th and 9th Foundation, click here.Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver AJ Green played with Rondale Moore in Arizona for two years. He is calling for the NFL to implement a policy where any player who sustains a major injury must receive mental health counseling during their rehab process.Crisis HotlineIf you or someone you know is struggling, call or text the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
Being a student-athlete is hard enough, but the pressures of it can sometimes be overwhelming.
So how do you know when your athlete is struggling and what can you do to help?
Standout high school and college football star turned pro Rondale Moore took his own life in February.
The gifted player was loved and admired by many.
Suicide among NCAA student-athletes has doubled over the past 20 years and one life lost is too many.
The pressure to win. The pressure to rise to the top. The pressure to keep your grades up. Sports have become such an important part of many students’ lives.
“Just the pressure to win and how on the field and off the field, academically there’s a lot of pressure they face especially at the college level,” said LaQuisha Moore, licensed mental health counselor.
Moore talks about how parents can help their children cope with the pressures of being an athlete.
“Focus on positive self-talk, how to talk themselves down from the ledge and reframe… challenge and reframe thinking, just build themselves up. I teach them to be strength-based with themselves,” Moore said.
She is also on the board of the 29th and 9th Foundation. It’s a nonprofit founded by former NFL running back and UofL star Bilal Powell.
Powell, who retired from the New York Jets, founded the organization because of his own struggles with mental health.
“When something is gone that you feel like is a coping tool and you have nowhere to put these emotions and feelings… I kind of went down a dark hole and there was a time in my life to where I almost took my own life,” Powell said.
Powell spent nine years in the NFL, playing through injuries and the uncertainty of his career. His mental health took a toll.
At one point, Powell says his thoughts turned suicidal and a phone call from his son saved his life.
“He never called me. He usually text. So when he called me I felt it was a need to answer that and since that day the biggest message for me is don’t let one day ruin your life and other people around you that love you,” Powell said. “Keep fighting through the hard times. Keep thriving through the hard times.”
But it’s much easier said than done.
According to the National Institutes of Health, suicide is the second leading cause of death for college athletes behind sudden cardiac arrest.
But for professional athletes, there’s been a sharp rise in suicides, specifically among NFL players, where cases have doubled in the last 20 years.
“We’re taught as young little guys to come in and play a grown man’s sport because it’s a very physical sport for us,” Powell said. “We gotta learn to be tough. We gotta learn the differences between our injuries… playing through the head injuries, the bruises and the bumps and that carries into your relationships. You close off and it’s hard to decipher through certain emotions.”
And as Moore explains, talking about your problems is actually a sign of strength.
“Tough is not always suppression and holding things down because that is never good,” she said.
To learn more about the 29th and 9th Foundation, click here.
Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver AJ Green played with Rondale Moore in Arizona for two years. He is calling for the NFL to implement a policy where any player who sustains a major injury must receive mental health counseling during their rehab process.
Crisis Hotline
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.