{"id":545882,"date":"2026-03-19T02:59:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T02:59:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/545882\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T02:59:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T02:59:11","slug":"a-j-green-calls-for-nfl-changes-after-rondale-moores-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/545882\/","title":{"rendered":"A.J. Green calls for NFL changes after Rondale Moore’s death"},"content":{"rendered":"

A.J. Green called on the NFL to provide players with better mental health care in an essay published by The Players\u2019 Tribune<\/a> on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The message was part of an emotional piece that the former wideout penned in honor of the late Rondale Moore<\/a>, with whom Green had developed a close relationship while the two were playing in Arizona, and who tragically took his own life last month.\u00a0He was 25.<\/p>\n

Green wrote that it is time for the NFL to do more to address players\u2019 mental health while they\u2019re recovering from injuries.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore (4) runs against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game, Dec. 17, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz. AP<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200b\u201cTo me there\u2019s a lot that could still be improved in the NFL, as far as how the league is helping its players with their mental health,\u201d the seven-time Pro Bowl receiver wrote in The Players\u2019 Tribune<\/a>. \u201cAnd one way I would start is by making it mandatory, if you have a major injury, that you see an independent mental health counselor as part of your rehab. And by also making it mandatory, if you have a second major injury, that you see an independent mental health counselor for an extended period of time, even after your rehab.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moore was struggling with his mental health after suffering season-ending injuries during the previous two years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Police in New Albany, Indiana, said Moore was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the garage of a property in the town from which he came.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Moore dislocated his right knee during training camp after being traded to the Falcons from the Cardinals in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He signed with the Vikings in 2025, but blew out his left knee during a preseason game.<\/p>\n

Green also called for a change to how decision makers in the league view mental health care, indicating that many see it as something to look down on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) runs onto the field before the game against the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals on January 3, 2021, at Paul Brown Stadium. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of that means anything if the people who are making the football decisions, in private, are viewing mental health issues how I feel like a lot of times they still get viewed: as a red flag. That\u2019s the truth,\u201d Green wrote. \u201cNo one in any front office will ever say it out loud. No scout is ever gonna put it in a scouting report. But that\u2019s how it\u2019s viewed in this league by a lot of people. And as long as that\u2019s the case? Stories like Rondale\u2019s will probably keep happening.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause it means we\u2019re telling players that having a mental health issue is gonna f\u2013k with their money. And if we\u2019re telling players that, then we\u2019re creating an incentive for them to lie about their mental health. And if players lie about their mental health, then they\u2019re going to feel shame about their mental health. And they\u2019re not going to get the help they need \u2014 and whatever issues they\u2019re facing are not going to get better, and are probably going to get worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

The issue takes on immense significance for Green because of how close he was with Moore.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During their time together in Arizona \u2014 Green\u2019s final years in the league and Moore\u2019s first two \u2014 they took on a father\/son type of dynamic as the NFL veteran mentored the promising wide receiver.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Green had even joked that Moore was actually \u201cRondale Green, my third and oldest kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rondale Moore of the Minnesota Vikings warms up before an NFL Preseason 2025 game on August 9, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Getty Images<\/p>\n

The former NFL player recalled how Moore had opened up during his second season and \u201cwhen it really became a special relationship.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Green said he\u2019d get texts and phone calls asking him for advice on any given topic.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd pretty soon I\u2019m on the phone with him, FaceTiming, saying stuff like, \u2018Stop buying these cheap-ass linens, Rondale!! You have a bit of money now, you can afford some real linens \u2014 this way you\u2019re not having to change them out every week!!!\u2019 And I\u2019d catch the sound of my own voice in those moments and I\u2019d be like, Oh my God\u2026.. I know exactly who I sound like right now. I\u2019m talking like MY parents. So that\u2019s how \u2018Rondale Green\u2019 got started. Just from Rondale asking me all of these questions, and me giving him all of this parental-type advice,\u201d Green wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Moore was laid to rest on March 6<\/a> in New Albany.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Green helped select the tie for Moore to wear at his funeral.<\/p>\n

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for free and confidential crisis counseling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A.J. Green called on the NFL to provide players with better mental health care in an essay published…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":545883,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[201807,1745,49,48,12375,1726,514,33130,82],"class_list":["post-545882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-a-j-green","tag-arizona-cardinals","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-deaths","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-nfl","tag-rondale-moore","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=545882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545882\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/545883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=545882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=545882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=545882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}