College athletes of all types are commonly seen as some of the strongest people on campus, both physically and mentally. They are trained, in many aspects, to be able to withstand hardship and persist throughout trials.
Their hard work and dedication to their sport earn them respect amongst students and faculty alike. Likewise, their families tend to feel less worried about them and their futures, considering how capable and motivated they appear on the outside.
However, sometimes even the strongest people struggle with things in their personal or social lives. There is not a person on Earth who does not face hardships. The toughest people on the football field can sometimes be falling apart behind closed doors, and no one may know until it is too late.
Such was the case for Morgan Rodgers, a college lacrosse player who loved her sport, but struggled mentally when no one was watching. An injury to her knee led to a long road of rehab and therapy, keeping her from the sport she loved and grounding her in persistent pain. In 2019, the world lost the young athlete to suicide.
The painful loss provoked the idea for Morgan’s Message – an organization founded by Rodgers’ parents, teammates and loved ones to keep her memory alive and fight to eliminate the stigma around mental health struggles in athletes. Schools can open their own “chapter” of Morgan’s Message to promote mental health resources and share the importance of reaching out to trusted people for help during hard times.
The logo for the organization is a green butterfly with a semicolon for a body, signifying hope and a new chapter in one’s life as opposed to the end of a story.
Erin Speak and Emily Berkley, two Eastern student-athletes, began and work as co-presidents for Eastern’s chapter of Morgan’s Message. They began the chapter in the fall of 2025, gathering like-minded students to help and support the group and solidifying its establishment at Eastern.
The group now organizes events on campus throughout the school year to bring more students to engage with and utilize the resources available to them, especially student-athletes.
Several sports games are also dedicated to Morgan’s Message throughout the semesters, where the pair sets up tables with wristbands and other memorabilia, and speeches in remembrance of Rodgers and support of current student-athletes are given.
Now that the group is fully established, they will be hosting more events and taking up more space on campus. This will include decorating student-athlete locker rooms and holding activities in the athletic training room. Details and scheduling for meetings and events can be found on the group’s Instagram page, alongside introductions to their team and even fun promotional wear featuring the organization’s logo.
The Instagram page also features regular posts encouraging athletes to reach out for help if they are struggling. There are frequent carousel posts with advice, inspiration and support. The page creates an additional, virtual space for students to interact with both Morgan’s Message and one another, allowing them to connect and feel even less alone in their everyday struggles.
The list of students involved has grown quite a bit in the past year since its establishment. Their team can also be found on their Instagram page, including Berkley and Speak as co-presidents, Peyton Valentino as their vice president, Gia Gordon as their treasurer, Karlee Howard as their secretary and Neve O’Leary as their publicist.
The spread of the story of Rodgers and her struggle keeps her name being spoken and makes athletes across the country feel a little less alone as they balance sports, academics and their personal lives. What happened to her is something no student, or anyone, for that matter, should ever have to experience.
Students going through mental and emotional struggles are encouraged to reach out and have peer conversations through the community Morgan’s Message builds.
