B1G announces formation of Mental Health and Wellness Cabinet

The B1G is making mental health one of its top priorities for student-athletes moving forward.

Monday, the conference formally announced the formation of the B1G Mental Health and Wellness Cabinet, which will include representatives from all 14 institutions from the league. It also announced that it will provide free access to the Calm app, the No. 1 mental fitness app.

“When I was hired as the Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, a core pillar of my vision was to make sure that we educate, embrace, engage and empower our more than 9,500 student-athletes. This is a complex and stressful time in our society and the mental health and wellness of our Big Ten family is a critical component of our focus,” said commissioner Kevin Warren. “The Cabinet will be instrumental for us both short and long term, as we pursue our goal of creating and maintaining the most comprehensive mental health and wellness platform in college athletics.”

“Our hope is that the Calm mental fitness app will provide an immediate resource for all Big Ten student-athletes, coaches, athletic department staff members and conference staff during these unprecedented times and is only the first of many steps that we will take in the area of mental health and wellness. We are fortunate to have so many professionals on our campuses who have dedicated their lives to tackling mental health issues. We were driven to supplement their inspiring work with additional resources, important under normal circumstances, but even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Cabinet was first established in December 2019, as Warren wanted to promote mental health and well-being throughout the conference for its student-athletes.