Bengals Legend Advocates For NFL Policy Change After Death of Former Teammate

CINCINNATI — Former Bengals and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver A.J. Green penned a heartfelt tribute to his late former teammate Rondale Moore this week on The Player's Tribune. The Bengals legend and trusted vet with Arizona to close his career advocated heavily for more mental health awareness surrounding athletes after Moore took his own life on Feb. 21.

Police in his hometown of New Albany, Indiana, stated to The Associated Press that Moore suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound that night.

He played for the Vikings and Cardinals during his career, building a strong bond with Green in Arizona to start that NFL run. Now, Green wants people to make sure they keep supporting athletes in what can be a very challenging profession, not just on the field, but also off it.

One idea Green brought up is to make counseling mandatory during injury rehab.

"To me, there’s a lot that could still be improved in the NFL, as far as how the league is helping its players with their mental health," Green noted. "And one way I would start is by making it mandatory, if you have a major injury, that you see an independent mental health counselor as part of your rehab. And by also making it mandatory, if you have a second major injury, you see an independent mental health counselor for an extended period of time, even after your rehab.

"And the reason I say this is because I’m not an expert. You know what I’m saying? Like Rondale, he had a support system. He wasn’t alone. He had friends who loved him, family who loved him. But those relationships can be complicated. And while those people can give you love and support … what they can’t give you is professional help, and what they can’t do is equip you with tools so that, if you ever do have a mental health crisis, or even just a really bad day, you know how to handle it. And you don’t go and do something you can never undo."

He doesn't want the pursuit of money and NFL success to get in the way of someone's well-being.

Green knows what it's like to be in the spotlight playing for the Bengals from 2011 to 2020 and finishing second in team history with 65 touchdowns and 9,430 career yards.

"If we’re telling players that, then we’re creating an incentive for them to lie about their mental health," Green wrote. "And if players lie about their mental health, then they’re going to feel shame about their mental health. And they’re not going to get the help they need, and whatever issues they’re facing are not going to get better, and are probably going to get worse. So that’s one of the big reasons I want people to read this.

"I want to celebrate Rondale’s life, but I also want to make sure we’re having the realest conversation possible about his death. And the way I see it, while Rondale didn’t necessarily die because of NFL culture, NFL culture also didn’t do him any favors. It didn’t HELP him. And I just hope we can get to a place where, for the next young player going through a mental health crisis, it actually does help him. Or it even saves him.”

Check out the full piece from Green here.

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