Matt Rhule and the rest of the Nebraska football coaching staff should follow the lead of Lane Kiffin in studying the mental health of his players.
While Nebraska football fans tend to pour over physical injuries every single day, there are problems and injuries in college athletics every day that aren’t anywhere near as visible. Mental health is a massive issue in the country in general. The sports world mirrors the direction the country is going in that regard.
That’s likely why Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has taken an extraordinary step and is having his staff do the same. Kifffin and his group are the first coaching staff in college football that have all been certified in Mental Health First Aid, according to Football Scoop
There are few coaches in the sport that seems like a no-brainer to follow in Kiffin’s footsteps than Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule. The new Husker coach has put a premium on getting to know and understanding his players. He also wants his assistants to go the extra mile to do the same.
Rhule is also someone who has already made it clear that mental health and mental fitness are essential aspects of building the Nebraska football program back up. It doesn’t seem like it would be a massive step for Rhule to decide he and his staff need to get the same certification as Ole Miss.
Nebraska football doesn’t need to be first, just walk the path
Ole Miss assistant athletics director for sport psychology Josie Nicholson recently talked about the school’s approach and it certainly seems like something Nebraska football and then the rest of the Nebraska Cornhuskers athletic program should aim to do as well.
"“The culture starts with (the coaches). We do a lot of ‘It’s OK to not be OK’ kind of campaign, but we don’t do a lot of ‘And if you’re no OK, here’s what to do.’ So, being able to have coaching be a resource and believe in it (is huge). When your coach believes that your mental health is important, it’s more likely that the athlete is going to believe and take care of their mental health. Because it decreases, wildly decreases, the stigma of reaching out for help and getting mental health support.”"
In today’s world and in today’s sports world, what Ole Miss is doing is admirable. And Rhule seems like the perfect guy to lead Nebraska football down the same path and start making it the norm in college athletics.