Conclusion

All in all, athletic participation is characterized by glorious peaks and debilitating valleys. Furthermore, the range of events and emotions that are experienced through athletic involvement seem to be both numerous and extreme compared to the normal population. Yet, of all the powerful experiences encountered by athletes, perhaps the most significant and potentially traumatic is that of career termination. Oftentimes, this career termination is unexpected. Whether it be due to injury or in Roy’s case, disciplinary reasons, the resulting experiences have a wide range of effects on athletes at each level of elite sport.  In his case it led to a life cut short by inability to manage personal struggles. A poor emotional or psychological response to involuntary retirement is not something specific to collegiate athletes, elite athletes at the national and professional level experience similar emotions of depression, feelings of isolation, loss of identity, etc. The mental health of athletes in their post-athletic career is a topic that has been talked about more and more in recent years. The development of research around CTE and concussions coupled with increased advocacy from current and former athletes, such as the NBA’s Kevin Love, has thrusted the discussion of mental health and sports in the right direction. However, there is still plenty of room for increased research and support opportunities. There is a need for the development of a richer understanding of the various stressors and triggers that leads to a poor post-career transition. Conversely, there also needs to be more thorough examination into the characteristics, actions, and behaviors of elite athletes that were able to successfully transition into their post-career life. It is the moral obligation of the leagues and governing bodies to attempt to foster a positive post-career life for their competitors. Dedicating resources to intervention programs that at the very least serve to develop transferable skills, which could potentially provide direction and motivation during their post-athletic careers. In addition, programs need to be put in place that prepare athletes psychologically and emotionally to succeed in their post-athletic career. It is possible if there were support systems in place to assist Roy’s transition, that his years after college football would not have been plagued with negative feelings associated with a loss of social identity and social support structures. Hopefully his story and many others like it can behoove more organizations and leagues to take mental health issues seriously not just during their career but also after.