The NFL made positive strides in the mental health community by launching the NFL Behavioral Health Network on September 1. This network is designed to provide simple and confidential access to mental health assistance for current and former players.
The network is an enhancement to the NFL Player Insurance Plan that expands access to outpatient care for players and eligible dependents.
“Administered by Cigna Healthcare, the BHN combines a nationwide network of behavioral health providers with dedicated care navigation services designed to support the unique needs of current and former players and their families.” read the official press release.
The benefit arrives after years of thinner coverage. The 2019 collective bargaining agreement required only a part-time clinician at each facility, and owners did not approve a full-time mandate until March 2026. League and union officials say players have used mental health resources more steadily since the pandemic. The new network is the first benefit built to reach both active locker rooms and the alumni the research describes.
“The goal of the Behavioral Health Network is to make it easier for players and their families to access clinical support,” said Dr. Nyaka NiiLampti, NFL vice president of wellness and clinical services.
“Our priority is to remove barriers to care and ensure that members of the NFL community can quickly identify and connect with trusted mental health providers. By simplifying and streamlining the process to find high-quality mental health services, we hope this enhancement will improve delivery of care and support better wellness related outcomes.”
That alumni picture is stark. A 2024 KFF/ESPN survey of players from the 1988 season found 34% rate their mental health fair or poor, against about 10% of men their age. In the past year, 45% said they had felt depressed and 53% anxious, roughly double the rates of their peers.
One in four had skipped needed care in the prior three years. Harvard’s Football Players Health Study, drawn from more than 3,500 former players, found anxiety indicators in 26% and depression indicators in 24%. Players with the heaviest concussion histories carried about six times the risk.
“Just as we prioritize protecting the physical health of our player members, we believe mental and emotional well-being are critical to a player’s ability to thrive on and off the field,” said Dr. Amber Cargill, NFLPA director of player wellness. “Every player’s needs are different. The Behavioral Health Network marks an important step in expanding access to trusted care for players and their families while continuing to build a culture where seeking support is encouraged.”
Suicide trends sharpened the case. From 1979 to 2010, NFL suicide rates matched those in Major League Baseball and the NBA and sat below the rate for U.S. men.
From 2011 to 2019, after chronic traumatic encephalopathy entered public view, NFL suicides ran 2.6 times higher than in the other two leagues. About a third of former players in a later Harvard follow-up believed they had CTE, and that group reported suicidality at five times the rate of those who did not.
Whether the network closes that gap will depend on use, not the press release. Former players already report skipping care at three times the rate of men their age, and the conditions tied to those numbers — concussion history, chronic pain, and fear of CTE — do not end at retirement.
The benefit removes the bill. It does not, by itself, remove the stigma or the distance between a retired player and a provider who understands the game.
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