PHOENIX — NFL owners have approved a proposal to expand behavioral and mental health services offerings to players. Teams must now employ a full-time mental health clinician who operates out of each facility.
In 2019, the NFL instituted a mandate that all teams employ a part-time behavioral and mental health clinician. But the league hopes that the increased presence — along with an emphasis on supporting players who are separated from the team either while on injured reserve or while serving suspension — will help players avoid mental health-related crises. The increased emphasis comes after a season in which the NFL community dealt with the tragedies that saw Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore die by suicide.
“A lot of the teams already have these resources in place, but this is making sure that there’s a minimum standard across all clubs, but also being much more intentional and providing resources and support for those guys who are separated from the team,” NFL vice president of wellness and clinical services Dr. Nyaka NiiLampti said. “So that would include players who are in IR. That would include players who are suspended, because we know that, (the team) is their support system, right? And so when they are away, we know that they’re isolated. So (this is) making sure that instead of it just being, ‘Hey, I can reach out if I want to,’ this is much more proactive in terms of the intentional outreach.”
While players on injured reserve are allowed access to the team’s training facilities, athletes serving suspension are not. However, this broadened emphasis will enable and encourage team mental health clinicians to either set up off-site meetings with those players or offer virtual or telephone sessions.
The current mandate required one clinician to work from each team’s headquarters eight to 12 hours a week over a two-day span. Eight teams already employ full-time clinicians, NiiLampti said, and most employ more than one clinician on a part-time basis. But the new mandate will require teams to hire either one full-time clinician or ensure full-time service at team headquarters in some form.
“We need somebody there all the time,” NiiLampti said. “If you can do that in three or four people, if you can do that in two people, we know that it’s not a one size fits all space. So, our really, really good clinicians are very well integrated and they are easily working 60 to 70 hours a week. But the idea is making sure that there is someone there all the time.”
In addition to offering services to players, the clinicians also are asked to make themselves available to players’ family members for assessments and then give referrals for providers who can best serve them.