Thiel College coach talks to CBS station about program to benefit players’ mental health

Posted October 04, 2023 Print

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- Thiel College football coach Kevin McLane was interviewed by Youngstown, Ohio CBS affiliate WKBN talking about his involvement with Hilinski’s Hope and the team’s efforts to improve the mental health of its football players.

Watch the story.

Thiel College is participating in Student Athlete Mental Health Week this week (Sept. 30 – Oct. 7) alongside 155-plus other colleges and universities around the country. Organized by Hilinski’s Hope—the foundation Kym and Mark Hilinski started in honor of their son Tyler (former Washington State University quarterback) who died by suicide, student-athlete mental health has never been a more important conversation.

As one of the schools partnering with Hilinski’s Hope this year, Thiel College recognizes the importance of mental health and will be participating in activities throughout the week to honor Tyler, those lost and those suffering and address mental health with their student-athletes.

During Student Athlete Mental Health Week, student-athletes and athletic departments across the country will participate in breaking down stigma, offering quality resources, and letting student-athletes know they are supported.

“It’s a sensitive topic that people in general have a hard enough time talking about, and then you add in males and you add in football players, and they’re expected to be warriors,” McLane told WKBN reporter Abigail Cloutier.

McLane is in his second season with the Tomcats. He was hired in April 2022 to serve as Thiel's defensive line coach. He has been leading weekly meetings with team members to discuss mental health and help the athletes deal with trauma, criticism and the pressure of being a student-athlete.

Thiel joins participating schools that have committed to at doing least one of the following during the week:

encouraging students, parents, alumni, and fans to participate in showing solidarity;
eliminating stigma around mental health by holding three fingers to the sky during the first play of the third quarter;
playing a Hilinski’s Hope public service announcement;
wearing symbolic ribbons;
participating in social media campaigns during the week;
engaging in an internal assessment to evaluate how their campus is following best practices in terms of mental health programs;
and include talks and trainings on campus for players, coaches, and staff.
McLane said he has been hosting weekly meetings with the football players to discuss mental health and hopes to expand the program to other teams.

“Making sure they understand that they’re celebrated and are about here. They’re loved and appreciated,” McLane told the reporter.

He said being “tough on the field” can make it difficult for athletes to talk about mental health challenges.

“It becomes a lot harder to not only recognize but then to talk about and handle the situations that you might see yourself as weak for going through,” he said.

“Education and awareness are critical in connecting student-athletes to mental health resources and no organization is doing more to promote athlete mental health than Hilinski’s Hope,” said Dr. Dylan Firsick, Assistant Athletic Director, Director of Mental Health and Performance at the University of Georgia. “The University of Georgia is proud to partner with Hilinski’s Hope and encourage all athletic departments to do the same for the 2023 Student Athlete Mental Health Week.”

Student Athlete Mental Health Week coincides with Mental Illness Awareness Week, October 1-7, culminating on World Mental Health Day on October 10.