Mental health education is ongoing process for NFL, players

Since his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Brian Dawkins has worked hard to break the stigma surrounding mental health.

The NFL and many players are also doing their part to tackle the issue.

Dawkins, a nine-time Pro Bowl safety and four-time All-Pro during 16 seasons with the Eagles and Broncos, has been on a mission to spread awareness about what he calls cerebral wellness since revealing a few years ago that he suffered from depression and had suicidal thoughts early in his playing career.

“There’s so much negative connotation still attached to mental health,” Dawkins said recently on the AP Pro Football Podcast. “Matter of fact, when I say mental health, the thing that usually comes to everybody’s mind and it came to mine is self-harm, depression, anxiety. No, those are mental illnesses. We all have mental health. So, separate the two but that’s not what society has done. Society says any time that you mention mental health is a negative thing. And, mental health is actually a positive thing. I have it, if you’re alive, you have it, too. If you’re thinking, if you’re conscious, you have mental health and it’s a good thing. You should celebrate that, and when you look at things from a different perspective, it can help you.”

Dawkins says maintaining cerebral wellness requires daily work mentally, spiritually and physically. He details how he trains his mind in his book: “Blessed by the Best: My Journey to Canton and Beyond.”

“We all need someone to talk to,” he said. “That’s what I’ve come to understand now that it’s OK to have people in your life that you have to designate that you can call or text at any time, and I know that they’re going to pray with me, and then they’re not going to judge me.”

The NFL and the players’ union have been committed to...