Content warning: This story contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide and needs support now, call or text 988 or chat with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org.
Before Mack Hollins helped the New England Patriots win their eighth straight game with a 27-14 win over the New York Jets on Thursday night, the wide receiver had an important message to deliver.
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As Hollins arrived at Gillette Stadium, he entered the stadium wearing a white t-shirt with “988” written on the front and “You are worth it!” on the back. Both sides also featured words such as “alone,” “scared,” “strong,” “seen,” “loved,” “happy,” healed,” and “vulnerable,” among others.
That phone number is for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and Hollins wanted to make sure those who need to talk understand it’s okay to not be okay.
“I think this topic, especially as a male, can often get pushed aside, can get brushed under the rug as not for men, not for tough guys, not for, I guess, our gender, sex, whatever you want to call it,” Hollins said after the game. “But it happens more than people want to admit it happens, whether it’s older men, younger men, successful men, poor men, rich men … it happens to all men and it gets pushed under the rug too much. And that’s not to say female suicide isn’t a thing as well.
“But I think especially this month of November, if I can bring attention to something that is happening way too much — because even one person committing suicide is too much — then I will gladly stand behind it and try to bring attention to it.
“And that’s not to bring attention away from anybody else or any other cause that’s going on. That’s just in hopes that somebody that may have had a rough evening, says, ‘Hell, there’s some guy in the NFL that that cares.’ Even if I don’t know you, I care. And hopefully that can change any decisions you thought of making.”
Hollins’ fashion choice comes a week after Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland reportedly died from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound after a police chase.
Kneeland was the Cowboys’ second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and had so far tallied 26 tackles, five tackles for loss and one sack in 18 games (four starts). As police searched for him, his girlfriend reportedly told them he had a history of mental health issues.
Hollins added that the football environment isn’t one that’s open to vulnerability with it being known as a “tough guy” sport and what people see on the outside of players doesn’t always match up with what’s happening on the inside.
“I think that goes to what I was saying. It doesn’t matter if you’re successful or you make plays or everybody thinks that you’re in the best place in the world. You don’t know what somebody is going through in their own, between their ears,” Hollins said. “Sometimes it’s more than, ‘Well, I checked in on him.’
“He’s in a locker room in a very alpha sport, where saying, ‘Hey, I’m not doing alright’ can get looked at as you’re weak. Or I need tough guys as teammates. And, unfortunately that’s been the history of men in general.
“But I think to anybody who’s listening, more men are willing to hear what you have to say than you think. That tough guy persona that we all put on, isn’t as real when it actually comes down to it. And it’s unfortunate to see somebody lose their life. And you never know why. You never know what was the trigger or the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
Kneeland’s teammate, Solomon Thomas, spoke on Thursday about the importance of mental health, saying, “Someone could be smiling, someone could be dancing, laughing, having a great time, expressing all this joy, but on the inside, they could really be fighting a battle that you never know about.”
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When the Cowboys resume play in Week 11, they will do so with helmet decals remembering Kneeland and they will also wear special T-shirts honoring their teammate.
Along with a moment of silence, the Cowboys will broadcast a tribute video for Kneeland before their next home game on Nov. 23 against the Philadelphia Eagles.