According to the AP (6/4), Cailin Bracken, who decided to leave the Vanderbilt University lacrosse team in order to deal with mental health struggles, has written “an open letter to college sports, calling on coaches and administrators to become more cognizant of the challenges athletes face in navigating not only their competitive side, but also their social and academic responsibilities.” Bracken wrote the letter in response to multiple suicides involving student-athletes. Even though it remains unclear “whether U.S. college athletes are taking their lives at a higher rate than others in their age range,” colleges and “universities are starting to pay closer attention to the mental health of their athletes – in varying degrees – and it’s partly because athletes are advocating for themselves and their teammates.”
Related Links:
— “College athletes push mental health to the forefront “Hank Kurz Jr. and Erica Hunzinger, AP, June 4, 2022