Posted on May 13, 2024
What’s not shown is the pressure many players feel at carrying their entire families, their neighborhoods and, to some extent, the wider community on their backs and shoulders. Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) asked Marcus Smith II, a first-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014, to discuss the toll that comes with success for many African American athletes. Other participants included Arthur Evans, CEO of the American Psychological Association; Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association; Daniel Gillison Jr., CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness; veteran Rep. Danny Davis; and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Steven Horsford.
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