“You think about the young man we lost and you almost want to drop to your knees. There were a lot of hugs and a lot of raw emotion in our locker room”
Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Jason Garrett
This past weekend the NFL experienced another blow when Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent was charged on Saturday with involuntary manslaughter by intoxication of fellow teammate and longtime friend Jerry Brown. The arrest stemmed from a wreck early Saturday morning attributed to high speed and hitting the curb causing Brent to lose control of the car. Brent was released Sunday on a $500,000 bond as the Cowboys dug deep to maintain their mental toughness and pulled off an emotional win in Cincinnati.
Just as the Kansas City Chiefs lived through the emotional aftermath of the Jovan Belcher murder suicide of his girlfriend, the Cowboys are left with many unanswered questions and mixed emotions of how this could happen to two of their fellow teammates. As they deal with the aftermath of the poor decision to drive while intoxicated, the NFL is left to analyze the measures taken as an organization to deal with substance abuse and mental illness. Having a strong mental game in football and being mentally stable is essential to a winning team, but more importantly for athlete’s success in living outside the football stadium.
Josh Brent previously was convicted of DUI in 2009 while attending the University of Illinois, which is where he and Brown were teammates. The NFL already emphasizes the importance of responsibility to its players. It used to run what was called the “safe ride” program to get players to their destination, but it was taken over by the NFL Players Association in 2009 over concerns about confidentiality.
The NFLPA still operates it with the phone number on the back of every union card. Both groups comprehend the magnitude of reaching more players. A study by the San Diego Union-Tribune found that 112 of 385 NFL player arrests (29 percent) between 2000 and 2008 involved drunk driving.
This is obviously not acceptable for players that are supposed to lead by example for football confidence and overall football mental toughness. While these two tragedies are not related, they do require the NFL to analyze mental health policies assisting player’s and their families.
Grief counselors are available both in Kansas City and Dallas to help those in the close proximity deal with the aftermath of the fatal decisions made by these two young men. Certainly this is a necessary course to address the needs of current players, but the question remains, “Was there anything the NFL could do to affect the poor decisions made by these players?”
Players seeking help from a mental health professional often feel the decision is perceived as weakness by management and coaching staffs. Players should be able to seek outside assistance from trained mental health professionals without worrying about it affecting their value to the team.
Both the Chiefs and the Cowboys are left with many unanswered questions and sadness over the loss of their teammates, and also bewilderment at the poor decisions.
Cowboys Defensive Line Coach Leon Lett expressed it best when he said,
“So it’s bigger than football, its real life, its reality. I think that’s tough. The guys, for three hours, had to remove what was going on and just play the game. I think it’s really going to hit now. I think a lot of guys are still numb and it still actually (hasn’t) hit them yet. When we get back, I expect it to be even more emotional still. I really do.”
Hopefully these players will seek help from professionals to work through the grief process and regain their overall mental toughness.
Condolences are sent to both the Brown and Brent families, and also to the Dallas Cowboys team and staff.
Jerry Brown – RIP
