Awareness of Student-Athlete Mental Health Growing For ATs

This month, HBO’s award-winning “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” is featuring a segment that focuses on “the growing mental health crisis of student-athletes.”

 

Mental health issues among student-athletes is a worthy topic to be sure. However, this is no “growing” crisis. It is a longstanding one (remember Jimmy Piersall?) that has been too easily avoided by too many for too long.

 

Furthermore, its roots are not to be found at the college level, which is the sole focus of the current “Real Sports” episode.

 

Cleveland Browns' second-year quarterback Johnny Manziel, just released from an unidentified drug and alcohol treatment facility, had well-documented behavioral issues at Texas A&M.

 

However, he didn’t just suddenly become a bad boy upon his arrival at College Station. When asked about flashing the money sign when he walked onstage at last year’s NFL draft, he replied, “That’s just me.”

 

That “me” was decades in the making.

You can read the full version of this article in The Times. John Doherty is a licensed athletic trainer and physical therapist. This column reflects solely his opinion. Reach him at jdoherty@comhs.org. Follow him on Twitter @JDohertyATCPT.

Journal of Athletic Training documents referenced in article:

Inter-Association Recommendations for Developing a Plan to Recognize and Refer Student-Athletes With Psychological Concerns at the Collegiate Level: An Executive Summary of a Consensus Statement

Interassociation Recommendations for Developing a Plan to Recognize and Refer Student-Athletes With Psychological Concerns at the Secondary School Level: A Consensus Statement