Athletics Veritas is a weekly series aimed at helping higher education executives, faculty, and other stakeholders stay tuned in on trending national issues impacting college athletics, especially NCAA Division I. Athletics Veritas is created by senior DI athletic administrators around the nation.
Term-In-Ology: Mental Health Support Services for Student-Athletes
Prior to 2019, mental health support services were a permissible medical benefit Division I institutions could provide to their student-athletes under the broader medical care provision in Division I Bylaw 16.4. Mental health support services for student-athletes, though, were never expressly mentioned in the NCAA Division I Manual or specifically mandated in any outreach or guidance.
That changed when the Pac-12 championed the step toward codification when it sponsored Autonomy Proposal 2018-118 that outlined the following:
“An institution shall make mental health services and resources available to its student-athletes. Such services and resources may be provided by the department of athletics and/or the institution’s health services or counseling services department. Provision of services and resources should be consistent with the Interassociation Consensus: Mental Health Best Practices. In addition, an institution must distribute mental health educational materials and resources to student-athletes, including those transitioning out of their sport, coaches, athletics administrators and other athletics personnel throughout the year. Such educational materials and resources must include a guide to the mental health services and resources available at the institution and information regarding how to access them.”
The Pac-12’s rationale for this legislative change affirmed that as mental health issues are increasingly prevalent among college students, including student-athletes, it is appropriate for conferences and institutions to make a concerted effort to strengthen any existing mental health education and resources already offered to their student-athlete populations. While institutions have generally taken steps to improve their mental health education and resources for the general student population, participation in college athletics can pose its own unique pressures and difficulties that require specialized attention. To that end, athletics departments can play a central role in the creation of an environment that wholly supports mental health wellness for their student-athletes. A commitment to provide mental health services and resources in a manner that is consistent with the current Interassociation Consensus: Mental Health Best Practices guidelines will ensure that athletics departments make mental health care and treatment available to student-athletes in response to those unique pressures and difficulties.
Interestingly, the original draft of the Proposal was modified by Pac-12 to remove specific requirements (e.g., staffing levels) other than the requirement to provide educational materials and resources.
Proposal 2018-118 was only required for Autonomy 5 conferences (i.e., ACC, Big Ten; Big 12; Pac-12; SEC). There was immediate recognition that no student-athlete, regardless of conference affiliation, is immune to mental health challenges and a level-setting of mental health support services for all NCAA members was appropriate.
In May 2019, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors extended the mental health support services expectation set forth in the Pac-12’s adopted proposal to all Division I members, regardless of conference affiliation.
By August 2019, both Division II and Division III followed Division I’s suit and adopted non-controversial proposals articulating identical mental health support service expectations for their member institutions.
Athletics Veritas is presented for information purposes only and should not be considered advice or counsel on NCAA compliance matters. For guidance on NCAA rules and processes, always consult your university’s athletics compliance office, conference office, and/or the NCAA.
