Jelani Woods already had a keen interest in mental health before he was drafted by the Colts this spring. He completed a research project while in college looking at the mental health resources available to student-athletes, and why so many of those student-athletes either are not able to or are discouraged from accessing them.
The juggling act student-athletes face between the demands of their sport – practice, film study, injury treatment, etc. – plus schoolwork and life outside of campus can take a significant mental toll, Woods said.
“You’re just trying to balance that out, and you got your authority figures being like, well, do you think you can push through, and with that pressure as well you’re like, yeah, well, I can push through even though you truly can’t,” Woods said. “You need that extra help. And just being able to sometimes acknowledge that you need that extra help and use those resources, that was the main challenge I’ve definitely found.”
For Woods, then, supporting Kicking The Stigma – the Irsay family and Colts mental health initiative – was a natural fit for his first “My Cause, My Cleats” game this Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys (pictured above are Woods’ custom cleats for the game). To date, Kicking The Stigma has committed over $17 million to mental health awareness, research and treatment in Indiana and nationwide.
The messaging from Kicking The Stigma and the emphasis on mental health awareness, treatment and research – which carries added meaning coming from a football team – hit home with Woods thanks in part because of the research he did on the topic as a student.
“There’s a lot of resources out there, but as individuals it’s hard to get into those resources,” Woods said. “One thing I found, which makes sense, is the notion of most coaches or people try to say, fight through adversity, fight through the mental part of the game.
“But a lot of things are hard to fight through and you need somebody to lean on.”