Green Bay Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers is thrilled with the team's latest addition.
No, this does not refer to a new target at wide receiver, but rather the hiring of Dr. Chris Carr as Director of Performance Psychology and Team Behavioral Health Clinician.
Rodgers tweeted out his approval shortly after the announcement was made on Thursday.
Rodgers has been vocal about mental health awareness in sports in the past, specifically citing Carr's name back in December. Carr has been a consultant with the team since the 2018 season (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN):
In December, Rodgers brought up Carr’s name unprompted, saying: “We also have a sports psychologist on staff now who’s a great resource. That is finally across all sports becoming a more ‘accepted' position, maybe? I don’t know if that’s the right word. But there’s less of a stigma, I think, really countrywide about how getting help is not a weakness; it’s actually a sign of strength that you’re able to get help and ask for help and set your pride and ego aside. But I’ve done a lot of research on that stuff.”
The star quarterback has spoken about how he works on breathing meditation before games, and also said in December the idea of “therapy” should be embraced and encouraged (via GQ):
“The therapy thing is interesting, because I know growing up, that word had a real negative connotation,” replies Rodgers. “Now I think it’s where it should be, as far as the collective thought. It’s an important part of growing. It’s asking for help, which is actually a strength.”
It is indeed an encouraging step for professional sports teams to be taking steps to ensure they are accounting for the mental health of the players, especially for a sport with as much wear and tear as football.