Getting Open: Improving Access to Resources

“My dad was in the military, so he would be deployed 6 to 9 months out of the year, sometimes, on a ship. When he’s gone – I have two sisters, and I’m at the house, so it’s just me, my sisters and my mom. My dad always told me I’ve gotta be the man, I’ve gotta be tough, I’ve gotta make sure everything’s OK,” Jones said. “I feel like a lot of men try to make sure everybody else is OK … They put their feelings to the side and on the back burner instead of just really handling their own feelings.

“I was always taught, ‘Being a man, you’ve got to put your feelings aside. You can’t really talk about what’s going on. You’ve just gotta handle it yourself,’ ” Jones added. “But I’m glad that mental health is a thing now because it gives people an outlet to talk instead of holding all that stuff in. They can figure out how they can get help, and I think that’s very important.”

Pat and Parry pride themselves on being mental health advocates, and both represented National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) during the NFL’s annual My Cause My Cleats game.

Parry called the organization a “great representation” of exactly what needs to be talked about.

“Growing up, I didn’t have [access to] these types of resources, so to support this and bring awareness to mental health, it’s big,” he said. “Everyone should have someone they can talk to, open up to about their problems. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people. Don’t be afraid to talk to your friends. Try to help someone. …That’s why I chose NAMI.”