The deaths of Marshawn Kneeland and Rondale Moore put a spotlight on the NFL’s mental health services, with calls for expansion of those services.
The league did that on Tuesday, announcing that its owners approved expanding the mental health resources in three primary areas for the entire NFL family.
The biggest change is teams now will be required to have a full-time mental health clinician at the facility. The original program, which began in 2019, mandated a part-time clinician who worked at the facility 8-12 hours a week.
The league also will better support vulnerable players who are separated from their teams, like those on injured reserve, and it will expand the Cigna behavioral health network for players and their families.
“The idea is this will provide a higher level of care not just to players but all members of the NFL community,” Dr. Nyaka NiiLampti, the NFL’s vice president of wellness and clinical services.