Ava Nichols

After Rondale Moore’s death, A.J. Green is calling for better mental health resources: “I’m not an expert on mental health. I’m a former football player, and I’m writing this as Rondale’s former teammate, and — more importantly — his friend. So please have that in mind when I tell you, in my opinion, Rondale wasn’t planning on any of this. To me? He was just a kid. And he was a kid who was struggling a lot with the idea of losing his identity as a football player. It’s two major injuries … two long rehabs … two seasons away from being part of a locker room … two years of not knowing if he’s ever gonna have more NFL checks coming through. So you add that all up, and it probably doesn’t take an expert to think there’s a good chance Rondale was depressed. But I could also see encouraging signs. Like — he was talking about the future. He wasn’t just on one of these downward spirals. If anything, he seemed to be slowly pointing back in an upward direction. The thing is, though, that upward direction……. It’s not a straight line. There’s gonna be dips. And when those dips come, for whatever reason, you need to be able to manage them in time before your shit hits the bottom.... To me there’s a lot that could still be improved in the NFL, as far as how the league is helping its players with their mental health. And one way I would start is by making it mandatory, if you have a major injury, that you see an independent mental health counselor as part of your rehab. And by also making it mandatory, if you have a second major injury, that you see an independent mental health counselor for an extended period of time, even after your rehab. And the reason I say this — it’s because I’m not an expert. You know what I’m saying? Like, Rondale, he had a support system. He wasn’t alone. He had friends who loved him, family who loved him. But those relationships can be complicated. And while those people can give you love and support … what they can’t give you is professional help, and what they can’t do is equip you with tools so that, if you ever do have a mental health crisis, or even just a really bad day, you know how to handle it. And you don’t go and do something you can never undo. In my opinion, if Rondale’d had those tools, he might still be alive today. And I want to make sure we’re never saying that again about a young NFL player. Because I keep coming back to this one part about it — and it may be the part that’s most heartbreaking to me: Rondale was 25, man. He was so damn young. He really was just a kid. And then there’s one more thing I want to say about mental health in the NFL — and I hope that everyone who needs to read this is reading it. All the rules … all the initiatives … all the public statements about awareness … none of that means anything if the people who are making the football decisions, in private, are viewing mental health issues how I feel like a lot of times they still get viewed: as a red flag. That’s the truth. No one in any front office will ever say it out loud. No scout is ever gonna put it in a scouting report. But that’s how it’s viewed in this league by a lot of people. And as long as that’s the case? Stories like Rondale’s will probably keep happening. Because it means we’re telling players that having a mental health issue is gonna fuck with their money. And if we’re telling players that, then we’re creating an incentive for them to lie about their mental health. And if players lie about their mental health, then they’re going to feel shame about their mental health. And they’re not going to get the help they need — and whatever issues they’re facing are not going to get better, and are probably going to get worse. So that’s one of the big reasons I want people to read this. I want to celebrate Rondale’s life……… but I also want to make sure we’re having the realest conversation possible about his death. And the way I see it, while Rondale didn’t necessarily die because of NFL culture — NFL culture also didn’t do him no favors. It didn’t HELP him. And I just hope we can get to a place where, for the next young player going through a mental health crisis, it actually does help him. Or it even saves him.” playerstribu.ne/Rondale