By Dwight Hollier, LPC NCC
Director of Transition and Clinical Services, NFL Player Engagement
AURORA, OH June 27, 2014 – We welcomed the Class of 2014 this week to our annual NFL Rookie Symposium, and once again one of the top themes was Total Wellness.
As one of the four core symposium pillars – along with History, Experience, and Professionalism – Total Wellness and recognizing the emotional component of wellness represents one of the top priorities in our League, which is why we introduce it early and reference the topic often and throughout the symposium.
Reducing stigma around addressing mental health and emotional challenges and increasing help-seeking behavior are important messages in this changing environment. We recognize that the NFL atmosphere can be stressful with the demands both on and especially off the field for Rookies transitioning. The Symposium provides a great platform to start these important conversations.
Our Total Wellness Breakout Groups included: Respect at Work, Financial Strength; Emotional Wellness; and DUI Prevention. Then we immediately followed those with a panel discussion that included the moderators for each of those breakout groups called “The More You Know.”
Then the afternoon sessions addressed Health and Safety, Substances of Abuse, and Performance Enhancing Substances, before reverting back to breakout groups for the all-important topic of “Knowing your Resources.”
All these sessions are aimed at educating rookies about these often complicated and confusing subjects, but made less so since we utilize our Peer to Peer model and incorporate our NFL Transition Coaches. Transition Coaches are former players—including Tony Stewart, Freddie Scott, Keith Elias, Mike Haynes, Garry Cobb and Donovin Darius to name a few—who have gone through 54 hours of training which included a certification in ASIST suicide intervention, mental health wellness training, Relationships, and Transition trainings. These Transition Coaches are working with small breakout groups all week to engage Rookies in deeper conversations about the topics and resources available.
Discussions that we believe lead to a greater likelihood of rookies recognizing challenges and reaching out if need be, particularly when they hear presentations from panels comprised of, for instance, NFL Legends like Eddie George, Ricky Williams, Michael Bennett, and Warrick Dunn.
For when rookies listen to legends who have walked the road upon which they are now embarking, they will do so with an enhanced understanding of mental health, where the stigma is less and the services are more.