Ole Miss Participating in College Football Mental Health Awareness Week

This week, Ole Miss Athletics is partnering with the Hilinski's Hope Foundation (H3H) to support the inaugural College Football Mental Health Awareness Week, which will culminate with World Mental Health Day on Saturday.

OXFORD, Miss. (Ole Miss Athletics) – This week, Ole Miss Athletics is partnering with the Hilinski's Hope Foundation (H3H) to support the inaugural College Football Mental Health Awareness Week, which will culminate with World Mental Health Day on Saturday (October 10).

As part of the events, Rebel coaches will be donning lapel pins at Saturday's Alabama game while players and staff will be wearing wristbands. There will also be content devoted to mental health awareness across Ole Miss' social media platforms over the course of the week. In addition, the athletics department will continue to partner with H3H on programming dedicated to the betterment of its student athletes.

"The work that the Hilinski's Hope Foundation is doing across the nation to support our student athletes' mental health and reduce the stigma that surrounds mental illness is so important and I am proud that Ole Miss is committed to our student athletes in the same way," said Dr. Josie Nicholson, counseling and sport psychologist for Ole Miss Athletics. "To be part of College Football Mental Health Awareness Week is an honor and sends such a valuable message to our athletes about how much their mental health matters."

Among the schools participating in College Football Mental Health Awareness Week are Alabama, Arkansas, BYU, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Clemson, Middle Tennessee State, Mississippi State, Missouri, North Dakota State, Sacramento State, South Carolina, South Florida, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.

"It's been really special to see college campuses nationwide come together and support mental health in collegiate athletics," Mark Hilinski said. "The discussions that continue to take place across athletic departments are so crucial for student athletes and we know Tyler would be so proud of the progress we've made, but there is still more work to be done."

Fans wanting to participate can head to social media and use the hashtag #MentalHealthMatters to showcase why mental health matters to them. They can also post a picture in a Mental Health Matters t-shirt and/or share a photo raising three fingers representing a stand in solidarity against mental illness stigma and to honor those lost in the fight.

Founded by Mark and Kym Hilinski to honor the legacy of their son Tyler, H3H is a non-profit organization formed to promote awareness and education of mental health and wellness for student athletes. The Foundation's mission is to educate, advocate and eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness, while funding programs that provide student athletes with the tools and resources that support their mental health and wellness.

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