Wayne State hires first assistant athletic director for mental health and wellness

(CBS DETROIT) - Colleges and universities across the country are calling attention to mental health hurdles among student-athletes and doing something about it. 

Locally, Wayne State University recently named its first Assistant Athletic Director for Mental Health and Wellness. 

Jeff Williams, a two-time Wayne State graduate and former Warrior football player, was named to the role in June 2023. 

"I would've loved to have someone that was specifically designated to talk to just about all things pertaining to mental health and performance," Williams said. "Student-athletes have a lot of unique stressors and things already just with their everyday schedule."

In his new role, Williams hopes to help student-athletes mitigate some of that stress.

"It takes time," Williams said. "It's not going to be any instant gratification."

According to the NCAA Student-Athlete Well-Being Study, published last year, the number of student-athletes reporting mental health concerns has increased since the pandemic.

Often referred to as the "quiet crisis" in college sports, something Alex Legion, a Detroit native, former high school basketball All-American and NCAA Division I athlete, knows all too well why.  

"I didn't have anyone to talk to about those pressures," he said. "I went from high school All-American to, 'Okay, when is he going to go to the NBA.'"

Legion never made it to the NBA but played professionally in Hungary, Italy and Qatar. 

Before his professional career, Legion bounced between three colleges, and with every transfer came another headline, which weighed heavily on Legion. 

"I think a narrative [painted about] me. I was just this problem kid who couldn't like stick to a school when I was just trying to become the best version of myself," Legion said.

He says if he had someone like Williams to talk to in college, he might have placed wellness over winning - something Legion hopes the next generation of college athletes prioritize before play. 

"[It's] very exciting. I wish I had it, but it is what it is," he said.