On February 21, 2026, former Purdue athlete and Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore took his own life, once again sparking the conversation on professional and student athlete mental health concerns.
With athletes’ busy schedules, there isn’t much time to focus on mental health, and when there is time, it is rarely used to take deep mental dives into emotional and mental concerns.
According to a Sports Social Work Journal written in 2023, titled Behavioral Care: An International Approach to Student-Athlete Mental Health by Ronnie Watson of Ball State University and Khirey Walker of Elon University, approximately 41% of student-athletes struggle with feeling overwhelmed on a regular basis and “10-21% of student-athletes reported depressive symptoms but did not know how to handle them,” according to the same article.
Out of the student-athletes who were reported to have struggled with symptoms of depression, only 18% of those students sought treatment.
At Wayne State College athletes attend class, shortly after attend practice and sometimes even return to classes afterwards, before leaving for games or meets halfway through the week. This leaves little time for a trip to the counseling office until their season either ends or slows down.
Certified athletic trainers are educated to notice mental health concerns in student-athletes making them the first line of defense in their athletes’ mental health struggles.
Although athletic trainers at most colleges are not certified to counsel, they can spot concerns and report them to the counseling office or request that the athlete attend counseling sessions.
“If we are concerned, or a student-athlete comes to us with a concern, we triage the situation and, if needed, refer onto the WSC counseling center,” Head Athletic Trainer Muffin Morris said. “That’s the best that we can do, get them to the mental health professionals.”
The WSC counseling office recently implemented guidelines so students can only receive 12 counseling sessions per school year. Those guidelines can be altered by counselors.
When someone is concerned about a student-athlete’s mental health, they can submit a student of concern report or contact the office directly. The CARE team contacts the student to provide support.
“WSC does not have any special program for athletes at this time, but we would be happy to work with students to develop something,” according to an email from the WSC counseling center. “In the past, we did have a Student-Athlete support group. Students interested in developing a group or other supports should contact the counseling office.”
If a student-athlete is struggling with mental health concerns, they can reach out to the WSC counseling office. Call 402-375-7321 or stop by the office in the Kater Student Center, room 103, to arrange an appointment with a counselor or get information on setting up a support group.
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