The Netflix documentary “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez,” engrossingly explores the confounding and tragic life of the former NFL star whose death at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Massachusetts in April 2017 was ruled a suicide. At the time Hernandez was serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2013 murder of his friend Odin Lloyd.
After Hernandez’s death he was diagnosed with severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease caused by repeated head injuries. There is no definitive connection between CTE and Hernandez’s sociopathic behavior, but one doesn’t have to be a clinician to make a reasonable assessment that Hernandez suffered from mental health issues that went undiagnosed and treated.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 U.S. adults experiences mental illness each year, which equates to nearly 50 million people. There are no conclusive statistics as to how many professional athletes are dealing with mental health issues, as it is logical to assume far too many suffer in silence. The stigma of mental illness for athletes still impels men and women across the sports landscape to function in fear of jeopardizing their careers and/or being ostracized by ignorant, unempathetic fans, peers and powerful decision makers.
Yet in recent years, an encouraging number of professional athletes such as former New York Jet Brandon Marshall, five-time NBA All-Star Kevin Love and WNBA Standout Liz Cambage have openly shared their battles with mental health issues. In response, leagues have increased resources allocated to mental health care.
This past August, the NBA adopted a new policy that includes requiring teams to add at least one full-time licensed mental health professional to their full-time staff. They also have to employ a licensed psychiatrist. The BIG3 basketball league also enacted a new policy last August. Article 1 of its policy states:
“We understand that the demands of professional athletics and public life are unique and can take an emotional as well as physical toll. We recognize that our players are human, not superheroes and that we all encounter a variety of life struggles—from general stress and anxiety to acute crisis and chronic health conditions.”
While not all major professional leagues have policies as comprehensive and specific as the NBA and BIG3, all are acutely aware of the need to be proactive as opposed to reactive. Watching a viral social media video of ex-NBA player Delonte West shirtless, handcuffed by police and sitting on the side of a road in Prince George’s County, Maryland, earlier this week, as well as several videos of troubled NFL star Antonio Brown displaying erratic behavior, in addition to the widespread conversation spurred by the Aaron Hernandez documentary, has brought further attention to the mental health crisis both in sports and society at large.