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OHL, following Terry Trafford tragedy, starting a mental health program — report
A few seasons back, the OHL went on a P.R. offensive to make the point to players that concealing a brain injury was not toughness personified, but sheer foolhardiness. While not literally analogous, given the stigma about mental illness that is slowly being eroded, that still applies when trying to address mental illness among its 16- through 20-year-old players.
The OHL, following the suicide of Terry Trafford in March, absolutely, positively could not begin the season without some acknowledgement that it intends on preventing a similar loss of so much human potential. On Friday, the Guelph Mercury reported the league is a couple weeks away from revealing a "league-wide mental health program for its players and staff."
From Tony Saxon (@SaxonOnTheStorm):
Dr. Neil Widmeyer, who has been the Guelph Storm's sports psychologist for 16 years, has seen a draft of the new program and said it is a big step forward.
"It's more proactive than anything we've ever had," Widmeyer said. "Is it the be-all and the end-all? The final product? No. But it's more than a baby step, it's a good step."
Widmeyer said the biggest positives are that it emphasizes "knowing the triggers" and also recognizes the role everyone can play: from teammates to academic advisors and billets, in identifying and acting on mental health issues.
"Did anyone know the triggers with Terry Trafford? Did everyone know the symptoms? That's what I would wonder," Widmeyer said. (Guelph Mercury)
At the time of the 20-year-old Trafford's death, Dr. Widmeyer was the lone team sports psychologist listed on any of the 20 member clubs' websites. One should obviously reserve judgement until the OHL releases all details, but the encouraging sign is that people within the league will be trained to try to spot symptoms that betray that an OHLer is struggling with a mental illness.
The Spirit, who sent Trafford home in February, aren't to blame for what happened. There is still a lot of guilt to work through, nonetheless.
Spotting the signs is tough. Even those who are diagnosed with depression and/or social anxiety and choose to get treatment — holistically, with medication and/or with myriad forms of therapy — can't really comprehend the scope of their own illnesses. Having it doesn't make one an expert on it.
What is clear, though, is that any mental health strategy is only as strong as players' willingness to be strong enough to come forward and access it. Being an elite athlete, living on the razor's edge, increases the likelihood of feeling despair when its feels like windows of opportunity are closing. That must be especially acute at the OHL level since only about 2 per cent of the players go on to a long-term NHL career.
Point being, players need to feel they can get help without jeopardizing their opportunities at the next level. That runs counter to the traditional teenage athletes feelings of indestructibility. Here's hoping it's addressed.
Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.
