DALLAS — A Dallas Cowboys legend and his former San Francisco 49ers’ teammate are working together to shed light on mental health amongst professional athletes.
The men and women of this profession are revered in our society. Why? Because they’re professional athletes. They perform on the brightest stages, in front of the biggest crowds, and have unrivaled celebrity status — meaning their platforms are infinite.
Therefore, these competitors can help bring public awareness to shared experiences of those whose voices are not as loud.
From an early age, these competitors are coached to be invincible — physically as well as mentally superior to everyone else. In most cases, they are, but they’re also human, which makes them prone to real life challenges. Some of those struggles can be as severe as mental health.
Michael Phelps, Ronda Rousey, Ricky Williams, DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Love, and Abby Wambach are just a few athletes who’ve publicly fought their inner battles with depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. But before these stars spoke out and shattered the stigma attached to mental health issues, there was Charles Haley.
Quarterbacks feared him, his teammates loved him, and the NFL idolized him. Haley is known for so many accomplishments on the field, but perhaps his greatest accomplishment is helping others off the field.
“I always knew something was wrong,” Haley said when asked about his bipolar disorder. “I just stayed balled up in knots all the time because I just felt like there was never anybody I could talk to."
Haley wasn’t diagnosed with bipolar until after he retired from the game, but his fight against mental health issues was well rooted in his playing days.
“As an athlete, you were always taught that you didn’t play hurt or you’d be a coward,” Haley said. “You had to be macho and fit the image that was built before you.”
The only teammate who understood what Haley was going through was Ronnie Lott. When the San Francisco 49ers cut Lott in 1991, Haley lost his teammate, friend, and mentor.
“The dagger that they stuck in my chest was something I could never overcome,” he said. “When [Ronnie] left, there was a void that nobody tried to fill. Everybody was just afraid.”
But now the two are teammates again. But instead of tackling opposing offenses, they’re tackling mental health.
“Here we are. Two black men trying to find a way to do our part to help others,” Lott said. “Sometimes it’s not about how high you are. It’s about if you are going low enough to see the people who are suffering. That’s what our relationship is about. He helps me see the real people at times.”
The two legends talk on Zoom publicly once a month to spread awareness. They’re also raising money to bring psychiatrists to schools to educate teachers on how to understand what kids are going through.
“The more the teachers know, the better they’re equipped to fight the battle,” said Haley.
His biggest piece of advice for people battling bipolar is simple.
“Talk. Just talk. That’s all you have to do,” said Haley. “Also, realize that person that you trust can only help you, if they seek help for you. They are not betraying your trust or your love.”