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Build Rick George a Statue (was #fireRickGeorge)

Bread said:
It's absolutely true. I think I mentioned this in Barzil a couple months ago or maybe it was here. But regardless CU doesn't do **** for athletes in many aspects but is embarrassingly bad when it comes to mental health. And this post by Keith Miller tracks with what players told me as I mentioned in my post yesterday regarding the mass exodus.
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Is this a KD doesn't push for this support? I think Mike Mac was trying to take care of players metal health and make it a priority. It could also be the Covid house cleaning took care of that too and the AD hasn't bothered to bring back whatever support they were giving.
 
I’d like to know what exactly they are referring to in terms of not providing support for mental health. I assume they have access to guidance counselors, tutors, and doctors at Wardenberg just like every other student.
 
96 Buff said:
I'll bet there's the macho culture thing where tough guys don't have mental health issues so players are not supported. I doubt it's that Wardenberg doesn't offer services.
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Possibly, but KD doesn’t strike me as the macho archetype. He’s definitely old school in many other arcane, antiquated ways.
 
The Alabaster Yak said:
I’d like to know what exactly they are referring to in terms of not providing support for mental health. I assume they have access to guidance counselors, tutors, and doctors at Wardenberg just like every other student.
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I'm also curious.

For instance, is it standard these days for every player to go through regular mental health exams? To have a mental health counselor they each meet with like they do their academic counselor? Other?

None of that was a thing when I was their age. I'm curious what the expectation is and in what ways CU is failing to reach it.

I honestly don't understand, but I care. With what I was socialized through, my ingrained attitude I find myself defaulting to is - football is a gauntlet that puts a lot of unfair pressure on you to see who can handle & even thrive in that pressure cooker, washing out the guys who can't handle it or don't want it enough.

I can see how that environment would be horrible if someone was suffering from certain mental health issues. I can also see how maybe this isn't really a mental health issue but an issue of today's players not responding to a culture of "yes, you're insignificant until you prove otherwise so fvck your feelings and earn the right to be treated as more than a slave".
 
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Buffnik said:
I'm also curious.

For instance, is it standard these days for every player to go through regular mental health exams? To have a mental health counselor they each meet with like they do their academic counselor? Other?

None of that was a thing when I was their age. I'm curious what the explanation is and in what ways CU is failing to reach it.

I honestly don't understand, but I care. With what I was socialized through, my ingrained attitude I find myself defaulting to is - football is a gauntlet that puts a lot of unfair pressure on you to see who can handle & even thrive in that pressure cooker, washing out the guys who can't handle it or don't want it enough.

I can see how that environment would be horrible if someone was suffering from certain mental health issues. I can also see how maybe this isn't really a mental health issue but an issue of today's players not responding to a culture of "yes, you're insignificant until you prove otherwise so fvck your feelings and earn the right to be treated as more than a slave".
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I’m also pretty sure Brian Cabral is on staff in a role pretty much specifically for mental health and counseling for football players, right? I don’t want to disparage or downplay mental health issues, but I just have a hard time believing CU is neglecting it as much as a few disgruntled players have stated.
 
The Alabaster Yak said:
I’m also pretty sure Brian Cabral is on staff in a role pretty much specifically for mental health and counseling for football players, right? I don’t want to disparage or downplay mental health issues, but I just have a hard time believing CU is neglecting it as much as a few disgruntled players have stated.
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And at 65, he’s a horrible choice for the job. These dudes aren’t going to Grandpa Cabral to discuss their mental health issues.
 
The Alabaster Yak said:
I’m also pretty sure Brian Cabral is on staff in a role pretty much specifically for mental health and counseling for football players, right? I don’t want to disparage or downplay mental health issues, but I just have a hard time believing CU is neglecting it as much as a few disgruntled players have stated.
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Could be that we're failing here.

Could be what Kelly went through at Notre Dame when he almost lost the team and had to re-invent his approach by letting his hair down & becoming more accessible & human to his players in order to get the most out of them.

The days of a HC being like Don James was at UW - basically watching practice from a tower & separating himself from players - doesn't seem to work these days.
 
Buffnik said:
Could be that we're failing here.

Could be what Kelly went through at Notre Dame when he almost lost the team and had to re-invent his approach by letting his hair down & becoming more accessible & human to his players in order to get the most out of them.

The days of a HC being like Don James was at UW - basically watching practice from a tower & separating himself from players - doesn't seem to work these days.
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Bingo. It's a whole different world now than years past. Guys now and even in the past, to an extent, need to know you've got their back. They'll trust you a lot more with that approach. Pick your spots to be a hard ass.
 
DeNiro said:
Is this a KD doesn't push for this support? I think Mike Mac was trying to take care of players metal health and make it a priority. It could also be the Covid house cleaning took care of that too and the AD hasn't bothered to bring back whatever support they were giving.
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I don’t think it’s entirely KD. This was an issue when Tucker was here too. I’d place the blame on RG more than anything. MM probably did care but hard to do too much when your boss doesn’t.
 
Buffnik said:
I'm also curious.

For instance, is it standard these days for every player to go through regular mental health exams? To have a mental health counselor they each meet with like they do their academic counselor? Other?

None of that was a thing when I was their age. I'm curious what the expectation is and in what ways CU is failing to reach it.

I honestly don't understand, but I care. With what I was socialized through, my ingrained attitude I find myself defaulting to is - football is a gauntlet that puts a lot of unfair pressure on you to see who can handle & even thrive in that pressure cooker, washing out the guys who can't handle it or don't want it enough.

I can see how that environment would be horrible if someone was suffering from certain mental health issues. I can also see how maybe this isn't really a mental health issue but an issue of today's players not responding to a culture of "yes, you're insignificant until you prove otherwise so fvck your feelings and earn the right to be treated as more than a slave".
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Mental health issues on college campuses are vastly different than when you or I were in school, so forget what you knew about it. Now, students have an expectation that their mental health (an umbrella term for anything relating to stress, anxiety to more severe conditions) will be addressed just as rapidly and extensively as their physical health. For example, if a WR has an ankle injury, there are an army of doctors and physical therapists tending to him as it is diagnosed and rehabbed so that he can play as quickly as possible.

However, if student-athletes are suffering from depression, anxiety, personality disorders, etc., is there anyone just as readily available? Or are they told to toughen up and be a man in the hyper-masculine world of football? The new and emerging philosophy in higher education student affairs is a holistic development one where the entire person is addressed. Not just the student, the athlete, or whatever. So if the university is failing to provide those services, especially for unique populations (first-gen, low-income, athletes, etc.) then they are doing a disservice to its students. I have no doubt this is what the athletes who are leaving are referring to.
 
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Buffnik said:
I'm also curious.

For instance, is it standard these days for every player to go through regular mental health exams? To have a mental health counselor they each meet with like they do their academic counselor? Other?

None of that was a thing when I was their age. I'm curious what the expectation is and in what ways CU is failing to reach it.

I honestly don't understand, but I care. With what I was socialized through, my ingrained attitude I find myself defaulting to is - football is a gauntlet that puts a lot of unfair pressure on you to see who can handle & even thrive in that pressure cooker, washing out the guys who can't handle it or don't want it enough.

I can see how that environment would be horrible if someone was suffering from certain mental health issues. I can also see how maybe this isn't really a mental health issue but an issue of today's players not responding to a culture of "yes, you're insignificant until you prove otherwise so fvck your feelings and earn the right to be treated as more than a slave".
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No - your average college student doesn't have a regular, assigned mental health counselor. Each student has an academic advisor, plus academic coaches who are available, but are more generalized by college.

If you have a disability, you likely have a disability counselor via Disability Services. And of course, the University offers mental health services that come in a variety of forms.
 
The Alabaster Yak said:
I’m also pretty sure Brian Cabral is on staff in a role pretty much specifically for mental health and counseling for football players, right? I don’t want to disparage or downplay mental health issues, but I just have a hard time believing CU is neglecting it as much as a few disgruntled players have stated.
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To my knowledge, Brian Cabral is not a trained mental health professional. It's great to have someone, like Cabral, to mentor players and talk to. But they need professional help. Would they go to Cabral if they broke their leg? Mental health issues are the same.
 
SerenityBuff said:
To my knowledge, Brian Cabral is not a trained mental health professional. It's great to have someone, like Cabral, to mentor players and talk to. But they need professional help. Would they go to Cabral if they broke their leg? Mental health issues are the same.
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Is it standard for college football programs to employ licensed professional therapists specifically for football players?

As I mentioned, I assume players have access to all the licensed professionals at Wardenberg on campus.
 
The Alabaster Yak said:
Is it standard for college football programs to employ licensed professional therapists specifically for football players?

As I mentioned, I assume players have access to all the licensed professionals at Wardenberg on campus.
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Many programs are, in fact, now hiring psychologists and teams of trained professionals to deal with mental health issues. And, again, if a player breaks a bone, do they send him to Wardenberg? Why would they not offer the same mental health services inside the Champions Center geared specifically to help this population? There's no reason not to.
 
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SerenityBuff said:
Many programs are, in fact, now hiring psychologists and teams of trained professionals to deal with mental health issues. And, again, if a player breaks a bone, do they send him to Wardenberg? Why would they not offer the same mental health services inside the Champions Center geared specifically to help this population? There's not reason not to.
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Mental health is an area we as a society need to address more, no doubt about it. That’s said, I struggle to find fault with the CU football program for not having a full time therapist on staff at the moment, particularly seeing as how Keith Miller is the first to even mention it as an issue.
 
The Alabaster Yak said:
I’m also pretty sure Brian Cabral is on staff in a role pretty much specifically for mental health and counseling for football players, right? I don’t want to disparage or downplay mental health issues, but I just have a hard time believing CU is neglecting it as much as a few disgruntled players have stated.
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He’s not trained, is he? If that’s part of his role, that’s bad.
 
The Alabaster Yak said:
Mental health is an area we as a society need to address more, no doubt about it. That’s said, I struggle to find fault with the CU football program for not having a full time therapist on staff at the moment, particularly seeing as how Keith Miller is the first to even mention it as an issue.
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Alfano mentioned mental health iirc.
 
hawg1 said:
Alfano mentioned mental health iirc.
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His situation had some extenuating circumstances, iirc. Regardless, I find it hard to fault a football program for not having a full time trained professional on staff. If players are actively reaching out to coaches and they aren’t helping find the necessary resources, that’s another issue.
 
The Alabaster Yak said:
His situation had some extenuating circumstances, iirc. Regardless, I find it hard to fault a football program for not having a full time trained professional on staff. If players are actively reaching out to coaches and they aren’t helping find the necessary resources, that’s another issue.
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I hear ya. I guess I thought sports psychologists were a fairly standard part of D1 Sports Performance offerings these days. I very well could be wrong.
 
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