Athletes spend countless hours training their bodies, preparing for competition and recovering from injuries. But what happens when the challenge isn’t physical?
Athlete mental health is becoming an increasingly important part of the conversation in sports. For many athletes, finding mental health support that feels approachable and relevant to their experiences can be difficult. That’s the gap Onrise is working to address, connecting athletes with people who understand the demands of sports and know when additional support is needed.
For Derrick Furlow Jr., Chief Athletic Officer and Co-Founder of Onrise, the idea grew out of his own experience as an athlete and the challenges he saw others facing after their playing careers ended.
From the Field to a Bigger Purpose
Furlow played football at the University of Tennessee with the goal of playing professionally. When that path didn’t work out, he moved into sales and began to recognize how many of the skills he developed as an athlete translated into his professional life.
Leadership, discipline, competitiveness and the ability to perform under pressure were all valuable beyond sports. But he also noticed that many former athletes struggled to recognize those qualities in themselves or figure out how to apply them in a new setting.
As he began speaking and writing about life after sports, he realized the challenges athletes faced went beyond career transitions.
“I realized, okay, this ain’t just a me thing. All athletes got these intangibles,” Furlow said.
Through conversations with athletes and clinicians, he saw another need: mental health resources designed with athletes in mind. Some athletes were hesitant to seek help because they worried about privacy, stigma or whether a provider would truly understand their experiences.
That realization eventually led him to Dr. Kim Quigley, a psychiatrist with more than 20 years of experience who had also worked with athletes privately. Together, they developed the Onrise model.
A Different Approach to Athlete Mental Health
Onrise brings together two important perspectives: former collegiate and professional athletes who understand the sports experience firsthand, and licensed clinical professionals who provide specialized mental health care.
Former athletes receive additional training to recognize concerns, offer peer support and help athletes understand when they may need more specialized care. They are not a replacement for licensed clinicians. Instead, they can help make that first conversation feel less intimidating.
Half of the battle is the lived experience,” Furlow said.
An athlete may find it easier to open up to someone who has experienced the pressures of competition, injury, recruiting or the transition out of sports. That connection can help someone feel understood and become more comfortable seeking additional support.
Onrise provides its services through telehealth and works directly with teams, leagues, clubs and other organizations. The model is designed to reduce common barriers to care and make support more accessible. Its services also include translation in more than 300 languages.
The goal is to help athletes get support before a difficult situation becomes a crisis.
Taking Care of the Person Behind the Player
Athlete mental health is still a conversation that needs more attention. Athletes are often celebrated as heroes and expected to push through challenges, but their lives are more complicated than what fans see on the field.
They deal with injuries, family responsibilities, academic demands, performance pressure and the uncertainty that comes with a career in sports. Those experiences don’t disappear when practice ends.
Furlow believes mental health deserves the same attention as physical health.
“If your mind ain’t right, your grind ain’t right,” he said.
Teams invest in strength coaches, athletic trainers, recovery resources and rehabilitation. Furlow wants mental health support to become just as normal a part of an athlete’s overall development.
He also hopes sports organizations can move toward a more preventative approach, giving athletes access to tools and support before they reach a breaking point.
Building a Stronger Connection at Asheville City SC
That belief is part of what brought Onrise and Asheville City SC together.
The partnership grew out of conversations within the soccer community and a shared understanding that supporting athletes means looking beyond their performance. Furlow pointed to Asheville City SC leadership as an example of people who recognize the importance of caring for the person behind the player.
“If I take care of the human, by default, it’s going to take care of the athlete,” Furlow said. “And if I take care of the athlete, by default, we’ll have a better team.”
For Asheville City, the partnership is another way to support players throughout their time with the club, recognizing that their well-being matters just as much as what happens on the field.
A New Day, A New Opportunity
The Onrise name and logo feature a rising sun, a reminder that each new day brings another opportunity to grow, improve and heal.
Furlow hopes to see the model become a more common part of professional and collegiate athletics, with expanded access for elite youth athletes as well.
At its core, Onrise is built around a simple idea: athletes should not have to choose between being strong and asking for help. Athlete mental health is part of the overall athlete experience, and players deserve support from people who understand their experiences and can help them take the next step.
Learn more about Onrise and its approach to athlete mental health at Onrise.care.
