Good of him to start a conversation.
The first team to get serious about running its players through a consistent and coherent mental/emotional health program is going to see immediate benefits that provide an advantage. Just going to take one to get it started.
I wish players would take advantage of the tools available to them. Not putting the entire onus on the athlete, but pro athletes do have avenues available to them for just these type things. The stigma of seeking help for mental health issues is the real problem for most people. As Bennett mentioned with "just being a little bitch", it is looked down on by the vast majority of all people with probably a higher percentage being pro athletes. I don't feel the problem is availability but more likely utility.
"most of your favorite players aren't good people"
1. Graham Barton, C, Duke 2. Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida 3. Maason Smith, DT, LSU 3. Max Melton, CB, Rutgers 4. Blake Fisher, OT, Notre Dame 6. Tommy Eichenberg, ILB, Ohio State 6. MJ Devonshire, CB, Pittsburgh
I can relate to a lot of what he's saying honestly. I joined the military straight out of high school, and finally felt like I had something I finally loved. I went in with a sense of pride that I was serving the country and doing something honorable. I had a purpose. People I served next to were my brothers and sisters, and some I even considered family. Of course at some point I realized it wasn't the life that was best for me, and I decided to get out.
You'd think having the GI bill pay for your college will make things easy-peasy, and while it makes things easier financially, I struggled with depression for years afterwards. It literally took me 3-5 years to snap out of it, and often I turned to alcohol to numb how much of a piece of shit I felt like. Once out of the service, I struggled to find a purpose in life. No longer was I getting orders from my commanders telling me what needs to be done. I didn't return home with a hero's welcome like coming home from a deployment. It felt good wearing that uniform, and now I no longer did. I was also disillusioned when we found out there were no WMD's in Iraq, so I felt like all the blood we spilt there was for a personal agenda, which made me feel more like a mercenary than a patriot. I asked myself if it was all worth it. I still have dreams and visions of the burnt bodies I saw, it's not pretty or glorious.
I've learned to cope with it and eventually dug myself out of the depression, but it wasn't a fast or easy process. Even though I wasn't a star athlete, when I put on the uniform, when random people would come up to me thanking me for my service, I felt like somebody. Being called called Sergeant instead of Mr. or just by my name, felt like I was somebody. Once I lost that identity as a soldier, I felt like I was nobody once again. Not only a nobody, but a has-been, which is worse, because you feel like you've lost something important. It's a common thing for soldiers or people in general switching careers, it often causes an identity crisis which is tough for anyone to deal with.
And what he said about using your brain when it's rusty was also hard. Going to back to school after 6 years out of school, is especially tough. Especially when at the time all my friends had graduated college and had their career jobs already. It was depressing seeing my peers established already, and I was there at 24 feeling like I was starting from 0 by going back to college.
Agreed that the players are part of this as well. But Bennett and others paint a picture of a group of people who won't ask or seek out help. So break the cycle. Require that your players see the in-house doctor(s). Convince them that taking care of you mind is as important as taking care of your joints.
Same that I think it is a missed opportunity that all teams don't employ an army of nutritionists, personal trainers, etc. That money doesn't count towards the cap. All those outside experts that the players are paying for - bring them in-house. Then you can vet them and make sure they are not wackos, align their program(s) with what you want as an organization, and then sell all this to the players when it comes time to sign contracts.
I do think some teams treat their players better. Shazier for instance, the Steelers signed him to a 6th year contract even though everyone and even Shazier himself probably knew that he would never play again in the NFL. They took care of him and his rehab, when it probably wasn't required to. I don't know how things worked behind closed doors, but from the outside looking in, they didn't do wrong by him. Like any good or bad job though, having a good employer matters a LOT.
They do actually have some or all of what you say here. Thing is the PA consistently votes themselves locked out of these 'benefits' offered by organizations every CBA. These organizations have multi-million dollar facilities that the PA has routinely allowed access to to be restricted or even banned during offseason and even off days during the season(ACTUALLY VOTED FOR AND AGREED UPON). So, where we ARE definitely in agreement about the help needed, warranted, and should be mandated, but these guys have to be willing to help themselves by seeking it first. And stop voting away their own benefits packages.
That is a good point. I always forget how bad the union is at their actual job -- or at least how short-sighted the players are beyond $$$.
I do think there is MORE teams could do. Look at the army of people James Harrison hired on his own dime and time to keep his body ready to play. Why not hire a bunch of folks to do house calls?
Lots of stuff to unpack. But reminds me of somebody talking about retired astronauts trying to find their "next career" in life. How do people that have gone to space, get up 5 years later and just be a "regular person"? I know to some it may sound a bit 1st world problems, but its all about self worth.
A good book called "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl, gets to the core of why people have self value. When you know why your life has meaning, you can rationalize when it starts to be less meaningful based upon what you used to do, just like Bennett mentions.
He needs help, professional help (like I'm sure a lot of current and ex-players do). It is clear he needs an outlet or someone to listen to him. But choosing Twitter, which is full of some of the worst humans on the planet, probably isn't a good idea.
These guys really are like ex-military. But the Tweet that made me laugh the most:
If you're going to call someone dumb, try not to use the sentence, "And they be dumb too."