In August 2026, the National Football League (NFL) and NFL Players Association (NFLPA) announced the launch of the Behavioral Health Network, or BHN. The network expands confidential outpatient behavioral health care for eligible current and former players and their eligible dependents through the NFL Player Insurance Plan.

Beginning September 1, eligible participants have access to providers across every NFL market. Services received through the network are covered at 100 percent, with no coinsurance and no limit on the number of outpatient visits. A dedicated navigation team can also help participants find providers, check appointment availability, and understand their benefits.

These changes address several practical barriers to receiving care. They also raise a larger question: Does greater access automatically lead to better mental health support for NFL players and their families?

Is the NFL’s new 2026 mental health policy enough?

The BHN addresses several important barriers by removing outpatient visit limits, eliminating coinsurance, and helping eligible players and family members find providers. Combined with the new requirement that every team has a full-time mental health clinician, it represents a substantial expansion of support. Its effectiveness, however, will depend on whether players trust the system, understand how to use it, and can receive timely care from providers who understand professional sports.

Personally, I know of players who have spoken to the team clinician before and players who have said that they would prefer to keep their mental health and/or mental performance support separate from the team. That difference matters. Making a clinician available does not automatically mean every player will trust that option or view it as independent from the organization.

Secondly, does the organization integrate mental health and wellness into programs and culture? There’s often a different level of ease when I speak with players whose teams and environment support mental wellness, and those that don’t (in all sports, not just football). We see this translate into life after sports as well. I strongly believe that if mental health is integrated as early as possible into an athlete’s career, when that career is over, they are more comfortable seeking support because it was treated as something that is a normal function of being healthy.

That being said, there are a variety of potential mental health barriers that we need to address beyond access alone, such as:

• Concern about confidentiality.
• Team and locker room culture.
• Fear that asking for help could affect how the team views them.
• A belief that they should handle personal problems alone.
• Cultural or religious beliefs about mental health care.
• Uncertainty about whether their concern is serious enough.
• Difficulty finding a provider who understands professional sports.
• A preference for support outside the team environment.

A timeline of mental health policies in the NFL

• 2019: The NFL and NFLPA required each club to retain a licensed behavioral health clinician for at least eight to 12 hours per week. Teams also had to provide mental health education and establish a Mental Health Emergency Action Plan.
• March 2026: NFL owners approved a requirement for every team to have a full-time mental health clinician at its facility.
• September 2026: The Behavioral Health Network expanded access to outpatient care beyond the team facility for eligible current players, former players, and dependents.

The NFL’s policy changes were part of a broader discussion taking place across professional sports. Momentum really began in 2018, when the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) announced the hiring of the first-ever director of mental health and wellness, Dr. William D. Parham. Then, in 2019, the Carolina Panthers announced the hiring of an in-house therapist, Tish Guerin.

The spotlight on mental health in the NFL has been gaining traction in recent years, particularly as there is an increased focus on the effects of concussions on an individual’s mental well-being and on addressing mental health issues at large in our society. Furthermore, with the growing studies on CTE and the tragic passing of both current and former players by suicide, the increased attention on the support available throughout and after an NFL career is warranted. At the same time, we can’t dismiss how players such as Brandon Marshall have spoken publicly about a sports culture that has often treated disclosing emotional pain as a sign of weakness.

In 2017, NFL player Brandon Marshall, who was famously diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, spoke with NFL owners at the Annual League Meeting. While I wasn’t personally there, his remarks were shared in coverage of the event.  

“Man, if you would have asked me eight years ago what does mental health mean to me, I would have said mental toughness. Another part of my answer would’ve been, ‘masking pain.’ As football players, we are taught to never show weakness, to never give an opponent an edge. To open up when something hurts, in our culture, is deviant. But when you really sit down and think about it, connecting with those emotions is the real strength.” 

– Brandon Marshall 

What is the NFL Behavioral Health Network?

The BHN is a national network of outpatient behavioral health providers administered by Cigna Healthcare. According to the NFL and NFLPA, participating providers were selected with input from league and union stakeholders based on their experience serving the specific needs of the NFL community.

The program includes:

• Confidential outpatient behavioral health care
• Coverage for eligible current players, former players and dependents
• Providers serving every NFL market
• No coinsurance for care received through the network
• No limit on outpatient visits
• Help locating providers and available appointments
• Assistance with benefit questions

What does the new policy improve?

The 2026 changes improve two different parts of the support system. Full-time team clinicians provide more consistent access inside team facilities, while the BHN gives eligible players and family members another route to outpatient care.

Unlimited visits and no coinsurance remove two common obstacles: cost and an arbitrary stopping point for treatment. Including former players and eligible dependents also recognizes that mental health concerns can extend beyond an active playing career and affect the entire family.

The network may offer another benefit that is harder to measure. Some players may prefer a provider outside the team environment, particularly when discussing relationships, identity, career uncertainty or concerns about how seeking help could be perceived. Offering more than one path to care gives players greater choice in how they seek support.

Is the NFL BHN enough?

The NFL’s expanded mental health policy is meaningful, but the announcement alone cannot tell us whether the system will work. Access is the starting point. Utilization, trust and quality of care will ultimately determine its impact.

As a mental performance coach and athlete mental health advocate, I would look at several questions:

• Do players understand which services are confidential and who can access information about their care?
• How long does it take to get an appointment with an appropriate provider?
• Do participants believe they can seek help without affecting their standing with a team?
• Are former players able to find providers who understand athletic identity, retirement and life after sports?
• Are dependents receiving support that reflects the demands placed on NFL families?
• Are players, clinicians and family members regularly consulted about what is working?
• Will the NFL and NFLPA report meaningful results while protecting individual privacy?

Where does mental performance coaching fit?

While the BHN provides access to licensed clinical care, mental performance coaching serves a different purpose and is often sought out by athletes who want mental performance help but do not need clinical support. A coach can help athletes develop skills related to focus, confidence, emotional regulation, communication, and transitions; however, it does not replace therapy, diagnosis, or clinical treatment, trauma-informed care, or crisis care.

Athletes may benefit from one or both forms of support depending on their needs. Clear referral relationships between clinicians, mental performance professionals, and other members of an athlete’s support system can make it easier for the athlete to receive the right kind of help.

The future of mental health in the NFL is yet to be seen. In my mind, there are at least two markers for success. Regardless of what the public statements may be, the teams will have to be involved (i.e., the efforts are for more than just a move to improve the league’s image). One, the policies need to be respected by all members of the organization and heralded as much as any physical training or rehab. Two, the Team Clinician as well as the players and staff are consulted on the effectiveness of the policies, which should be amended regularly based on their feedback. 

We still have a long way to go with mental health in sports and in society; however, it’s encouraging that organizations like the NFL and NBA are leading the way in bridging the gap between viewing mental health as a taboo illness and something that is at the top of the list in a person’s overall wellness. Mental health organizations have existed for many years, but we haven’t quite broken the ceiling on the stigma of mental illness just yet, even though millions of people have experienced some form of a mental health issue. The more we talk about it, and the more we realize that no one is immune to it, the more our overall health and wellness will improve.

Misty Buck is a mental performance coach, published author, and athlete mental health advocate. She works with athletes and sports organizations on mental performance, mental wellness, and life beyond competition. Learn more about her speaking and workshops or contact Misty

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