New England Patriots
“You don’t know what somebody is going through on their own, between their ears.”
FOXBOROUGH — Hours before he let his play do the talking out on the field in New England’s 27-14 win over the Jets, Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins wanted to get another message across at Gillette Stadium.
While walking into New England’s stadium ahead of their primetime matchup against New York, Hollins wore a white t-shirt with “988” stamped in bold letters — representing the phone number of the national suicide and crisis lifeline.
The phrase, “YOU ARE WORTH IT!!!” was also printed on the back of Hollins’ shirt. Hollins’s short also featured several words posted in smaller fonts. In the front were words like “scared, tired, trapped, broken, hurt, misunderstood” and “forgotten” — while the back had words like “healed, supported, loved, happy,” and “joyful”.
Speaking after the win, Hollins — who had four catches for 64 yards in the victory — stressed that he wanted to raise awareness about the topic of mental health and eliminate the stigma of men asking for help when needed.
“I think this topic, especially as a male, can often get pushed aside, can get brushed under the rug as not for men,” Hollins explained. “Not for tough guys, not for I guess our gender, sex, whatever you want to call it. “But it happens more than people want to admit it happens, whether it’s older men, younger men, successful men, poor men, rich men … it happens to all men and it gets pushed under the rug too much.
“And that’s not to say female suicide isn’t a thing as well. But I think, especially this month of November, if I can bring attention to something that’s happening way too much. Because even one person committing suicide is too much. Then I will gladly stand behind it and try to bring attention to it.
“That’s not to bring attention away from anybody else or any other cause that’s going on. That’s just in hopes that somebody that may have had a rough evening, says, ‘Ho, there’s some guy in the NFL that cares.’ Even if I don’t know you, I care. And hopefully, that can change any decision you thought of making.”
Hollins’s comments come a week after Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at just 24 years old.
Kneeland’s death weighed on both Hollins and the rest of the Patriots, who stressed the importance of being open with one another when it comes to discussing mental-health issues earlier this week.
“If you’re successful or you make plays or everybody thinks you’re in the best place in the world, you don’t know what somebody is going through on their own, between their ears,” Hollins added. “He’s in a locker room in a very alpha sport, where saying, ‘Hey, I’m not doing alright’ can get looked at as ‘You’re weak. Or I need tough guys as teammates.’ And, unfortunately, that’s been the history of men in general.
“But I think to anybody who’s listening, more men are willing to hear what you have to say than you think. That tough guy persona that we all put on, isn’t as real when it actually comes down to it. And it’s unfortunate to see somebody lose their life. And you never know why. You never know what’s the trigger or the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
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