The last two seasons of A.J. Green’s 12-year NFL career were spent in Arizona, playing with Rondale Moore, who was in the first two seasons of his NFL career. Green became like family to Moore.
Last month, Green lost a member of his family when Moore took his own life. People who knew Moore say he became increasingly depressed at his inability to play after suffering season-ending injuries during the preseason each of the last two years. Green says it’s time for the NFL to do more to look after players’ mental health while they’re dealing with setbacks to their physical health.
“To me there’s a lot that could still be improved in the NFL, as far as how the league is helping its players with their mental health,” Green wrote at ThePlayersTribune.com. “And one way I would start is by making it mandatory, if you have a major injury, that you see an independent mental health counselor as part of your rehab. And by also making it mandatory, if you have a second major injury, that you see an independent mental health counselor for an extended period of time, even after your rehab.”
Green also says NFL teams need to embrace mental health care as something normal and positive for players to seek, and not look down on players who struggle with their mental health.
“None of that means anything if the people who are making the football decisions, in private, are viewing mental health issues how I feel like a lot of times they still get viewed: as a red flag. That’s the truth. No one in any front office will ever say it out loud. No scout is ever gonna put it in a scouting report. But that’s how it’s viewed in this league by a lot of people,” Green wrote. “And as long as that’s the case? Stories like Rondale’s will probably keep happening. Because it means we’re telling players that having a mental health issue is gonna fuck with their money. And if we’re telling players that, then we’re creating an incentive for them to lie about their mental health. And if players lie about their mental health, then they’re going to feel shame about their mental health. And they’re not going to get the help they need — and whatever issues they’re facing are not going to get better, and are probably going to get worse.”
Green’s reflections on Moore’s life and death are powerful. The NFL and its teams should listen.