NFL Hall of Famers speak to local youth on mental health

Oct. 7—PEMBROKE — Darrell Green and Aeneas Williams each made their name as Hall of Fame defensive backs in the NFL.

Now, two decades removed from their pro football careers, they're using their platform to spread mental health awareness among today's youth.

Green and Williams joined former University of North Carolina women's basketball star Iman McFarland Wednesday for a "Strong Health Strong Communities" summit at the Boys and Girls Club in Pembroke, inspiring local students with the message that every individual is valued.

"Mental health support is going mainstream," said Green, a 62-year-old Houston native who played for the Washington Redskins from 1983-2002, winning two Super Bowls and earning NFL Man of the Year honors in 1996, before his Hall of Fame induction in 2008. "Mental health support has to be like having good shoes, having good hair, taking care of my body; we've got to have mental health. And it's not just because of COVID; COVID just highlighted it, but it's always been there. So that's a big play that we're talking about."

The event, put on by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in partnership with Carolina Complete Health, was one of 35 stops as the group tours the country, talking to young people from all walks of life. This includes a recent stop in Uvalde, Texas, counseling many closely affected by the school shooting there on May 24.

Students from every Robeson County high school were in attendance at Wednesday's event.

"Many of them may never play in the National Football League," said Williams, a 54-year-old from New Orleans who played for the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams in a 14-year career before joining the Hall of Fame in 2014. "So part of what we're telling talking to them about is not to do with the sport that we play. That got their attention, but the most important thing, all of us were valuable before we ever went to Chapel Hill or played in the National Football League, and that's what I didn't know when I was their age. Some of the examples we used, a person's value starts when they're born, not when they gain notoriety."

The big idea, they said, is making sure today's youth understand their value.

"These children are our future and we want to make sure that they're loved and nurtured and that they believe in themselves," said McFarland, 35, who played for the Tar Heels from 2005-09 and is originally from Temple Hills, Maryland. "So that's what we're here, to share our story and be an inspiration."

Green and Williams both spoke to the resources already in place in the Robeson community for young people who need them, saying they came simply to "fan the flame" that's already been started.

"They're a playoff team already," Green said. "We're just trying to get them to the Super Bowl, the championship. This community is very impressive; it's a very impressive community, tight-knit, spiritually led, and the leadership here, from the parents to all these folks, that's what's impressed us. Our message is really set to try to inspire the kids to have an 'aha moment', a greater awakening, a greater sudden insight, a greater discovery that helps them get over the top. Our stories are very similar to them, that we started somewhere and then a lightbulb went off."

The athletes have used their platform and turned what they're doing into a fulfilling post-sports career.

"It's a key, it's what opens the door, that's what these are," Green said, motioning to his Super Bowl ring and Hall of Fame blazer. "These are keys. You get in the door and you throw your keys down, and then you have it it. You're in the house now. So I think that we've been fortunate, over the years we've learned how to be with 13- to 18-year olds. I'm a little bit older than 13."

John Lowery, chairman of the Lumbee Tribe, was present in his role as a Tribal Liaison at Carolina Complete Health, in which he works with all the tribes in the state, and said the message would resonate with the youth in attendance; he was presented a football signed by the athletes.

"They had a very positive message today, and told these students that you are unique, you are amazing, and you've got to believe in yourself," Lowery said. "I think that's a great positive message that definitely resonates with our youth, and it's a great opportunity to hear from world-class athletes who have faced their own struggles, and overcame it and now here they are Hall of Famers."

Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at cstiles@robesonian.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @StilesOnSports.