Officials from the Power Five conferences have voted unanimously to "require members to make mental health services available for all of their athletes," according to Matt Murschel of the ORLANDO SENTINEL. The legislation was "one of several proposals voted on and approved" by members of the Power Five conferences during the NCAA convention in Orlando this week. The conferences can approve benefits for athletes that other D-I schools "don’t have to implement due to the costs, but their changes often end up getting adopted by other leagues." The new legislation was "spurred by a growing concern among schools about providing access to mental health resources, including counseling for athletes, coaches and athletics personnel." ACC Commissioner John Swofford said that the push for better mental health treatment is "just one of many improvements the NCAA has been working on to support athletes" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 1/25). Swofford said that the "increasing awareness surrounding mental health needs for student-athletes" spurred the ACC to "hold its first mental health summit this spring." ESPN.com's Andrea Adelson noted each ACC school will gather in Durham in May to "hear best practices from experts, as well as hearing from current and former student-athletes who have had their own mental health struggles" (ESPN.com, 1/24).
