when Ohio State University When football players step onto the practice field at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, they step over a red line painted near the sideline. That line indicates that they’re on the field and in full football mode. Everything else is left on the sideline.
But when practice was over, the players crossed the line again and the issues they had were still there. Just because they’re Buckeye football players doesn’t mean the issues go away. Head coach Ryan Day I understand that better than most people.
Day and his wife, Nina, were presented with the STAR Award for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of Trauma and Resilience on Tuesday at The Ohio State University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health’s annual fundraising event, “Faces of Resilience.” The couple were lauded as “true advocates and champions for the cause of mental health” following their donation of $1 million in 2022 to Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and the establishment of the Nina and Ryan Day Resilience Fund.
Donate to “The Foundation”: Click here now to support compensation for the names, images and likenesses of Ohio State University football and basketball student-athletes.
Ohio State’s 2024 spring practice is over, but as we head into the summer, the news is heating up with recruiting, the transfer portal and plenty of offseason discussions, as well as basketball gearing up for 2024. Become a BuckNUTS subscriber today to stay up to date on the latest Buckeye news.
“For Nina and I, it’s an honor to be here with all of you here today,” Day said before the event. “There’s a lot of great things about Ohio, the city of Columbus, but one of the things we recognize is the community and the compassion that goes on here, and this is just one of the great examples of that. … We’re honored to be a part of this. We really believe that you have physical health and you have mental health. And this is something that everyone has – mental health. And breaking down the stigma around that and providing support to move the research forward is important to Nina and me, so we’re honored to be here today.”
Ryan’s struggles with mental illness date back to the death of his father, who committed suicide when he was nine years old. Nina has struggled with anxiety disorders her whole life. Both Days spent their lives dealing with these issues “in silence” because of the stigma attached to mental illness.
As adults, the Days realized that this wasn’t the way they could live and began discussing what was going on in their heads. When Ryan became the Buckeyes’ head coach, Nina realized there was a way to help those who didn’t realize they could get help with these issues.
“It didn’t take long for Nina and I to understand the platform that Ohio State, and specifically the Ohio State football program, would provide us,” Day explained. “One of the things I want to do in life is to impact other people, and early on Nina came to me and it was her idea.”
Nina added: “The first month it was announced that Ryan would be the head coach, I mentioned it to him and said, ‘What are we going to stand for?’ I wanted to make sure we stood for something that we felt so strongly about, that we were so passionate about, that we could live by. And it just became a natural progression.”
The decision to advocate for mental health awareness is reflected not only in Days’ donations, but also in changes within the football team. The Scarlet and Gray have become more open, and players feel more comfortable discussing the good and bad things going on in their lives. For example, former offensive lineman Harry MillerSome players have revealed that they have considered suicide, Xavier Johnson and Trevyon HendersonPeople say that deepening their faith has helped them overcome difficult situations.
No matter who you are or what profile you have within the Ohio State program, there is someone you can turn to when you need them.
“I think a lot of my teammates are getting used to that,” Day said of his team. “First of all, we’re having those conversations on the team. We talk about having balance in life, building an edge between your faith, your family and your friends for when things get tough. It’s when you can lean on your faith, your family and your friends and talk to them about these things and you have that trust. But I think it’s also about the environment that’s been built, not just by our program, but by Gene Smith at Ohio State and a lot of people around the university.”
Follow Patrick Murphy twitter Stay up to date with The Ohio State University news on Instagram
What’s next for the Buckeyes? Take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now so you don’t miss a beat.
Day is happy that he and his wife have been able to change the culture of the Buckeye football program and help players be more open about their issues, but their goal is to go further. The couple doesn’t want anyone, young or old, to go through what they went through, and they want to use their platform to change perceptions of mental health in Ohio and beyond.
“I can’t tell you how many people have come up to Nina and me and told us how important this is,” Day said. “This is something that people haven’t talked about for years, but when Gov. Mike DeWine laid out the path and set the course for this, we were happy to jump in and be a part of it, and it was easy to see how many people here in Ohio were happy to jump in.”
