Maryland football announces Mental Health Awareness game against Iowa

Maryland football revealed that its matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes on the first day of October in College Park will be a Mental Health Awareness game, per a release from the program.

The Terps will wear a green ribbon on their helmets during the game. Green is the color to signify mental health awareness. It was also announced that there will be an in-game public service announcement video that will be played and it will focus on destigmatizing mental health.

Maryland will partner with speaker and author Rachel Baribeau for the game with the Hawkeyes. Baribeau will be in attendance and has lent her voice over the years to the Maryland football program and head coach Michael Locksley about mental health. She is an advocate for mental health awareness.

“As most people know, mental health awareness is something that’s huge for my family, having had a son who suffered from mental health disorders before he passed,” Locksley said in the press release. “It’s something very near and dear to the Locksley family and thus we want to do everything we can to bring awareness to a disease that is often not given enough attention.”

Maryland athletics will promote the importance of taking care of mental health throughout the week by putting out a special podcast episode, releasing a feature story and providing resources.

Read more on Maryland football’s effort to destigmatize mental health here:

• Mike Locksley’s emphasis on mental health has left a lasting impact on Maryland football players
• Mental health and college football: The story of Maryland punter Anthony Pecorella