Bryce Young Uses Off-Day to Uplift Teens and Talk Mental Health: “Everyone’s truth is powerful”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In the heat of training camp, many NFL players might spend an off day recovering or relaxing. But for Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, that downtime became something far more meaningful.

Young visited HopeWay, a teen mental health partial hospitalization program, where he sat down with about 30 teens to have open, honest conversations about mental health, life, and vulnerability.

“I’m super grateful just to be in the position I am,” Young said. “That comes with responsibility. I want to be able to use the platform I have for better. I want to affect the community in a positive way. Anytime I can share something that helps a conversation, ask a question, whatever it may be, I always want to be vulnerable. I always want to get the truth out, because I believe that can be powerful. I think everyone’s truth is powerful,” said Young. “So it’s something I enjoy doing.”

Even in the middle of a demanding NFL training camp, Young finds that giving back gives him perspective.

“It’s super humbling. It’s great for me mentally,” he said. “It centers me, being able to have these conversations. Obviously right now with camp, there’s a lot going on, but doing something I enjoy and something I’m passionate about is going to help me tomorrow have more gratitude when I’m back on the football field.”

Young’s commitment to mental wellness stems from his family. His father, Craig, is a psychologist, and his mother, Julie, is a teacher. Mental health conversations have been part of Bryce’s life from a young age.

“Through sports, my parents always stressed making it fun and making sure I had other priorities… that I was a well-rounded person,” Bryce said. “As a kid, football was just fun, you’re running around with your friends. As you grow, it becomes more serious. It becomes a business. So I’m glad they always made sure I understood football was part of life, not all of it.”

Craig and Julie Young flew in from California on a red-eye flight to watch their son lead the HopeWay session.

“Immense pride. To see him grow and do so well, it’s heartwarming,” said Julie.

“Honestly, to hear him speak so eloquently and honestly, from the heart, being very transparent. It’s really cool to see,” Craig said. “At the end of the day, we know exactly what he’s made of. We know exactly who’s in charge of his life and what type of young man he is.”

Craig admits that sometimes his roles as father and therapist overlap.

“Sometimes when you’re a parent, all that therapeutic training goes out the window. Julie does a great job of bringing me back,” Craig laughed. “At the end of the day, outside noise doesn’t matter. It might bother him sometimes, but it doesn’t define him or us.”

Bryce followed in his dad’s footsteps when he decided to take that passion of psychology into education at University of Alabama, where he graduated with the degree in three years.

“The happiest moment in Alabama? When he told me he was changing his major to psychology,” Craig said. “He had been interested, but I wasn’t sure if it was his direction. So to see him apply himself and graduate, it felt like he was joining the family legacy, just in a different arena.”

Young is also hoping the NFL world catches up when it comes to embracing these kinds of discussions.

“We’ve got to destigmatize the conversation,” he said. “People look at athletes and only see the physical strength. But everyone has their ups and downs. The more we talk, the more we normalize that, the better it is for everyone.”

Erasing the stigma around mental health conversations, made easier for those at HopeWay with QB-1 there to break down those barriers.

“You can kind of see people be disarmed in those moments,” said Young. “Everyone’s from different backgrounds, different parts of the country, but the emotions, the struggles, are often the same. There’s so much power in just sharing a conversation.”