Veteran Suicide: A Different Perspective

Veteran Sucide and the NFL By Dave Campisano

Veteran Suicide & the NFL

Picture this: you’re an all-star football player in high school. You earn a scholarship to play in college, and then you get drafted into the NFL. It’s the dream of a lifetime. You play hard, hit harder, and push through injuries with cortisone shots that could have ended your career, but you sucked it up and kept going. The men in that locker room became more than teammates. They became your family. They become closer than blood relatives.

You laughed together, cried together, and shared stories and struggles no one else in your life knew. You celebrated victories and endured crushing defeats. You watched teammates get career ending injuries from hits that could knock down an elephant. Maybe you won a Super Bowl, or maybe you played on a losing team. Either way, the bonds you formed were unbreakable.

Then one day, you decide, it’s time to hang up your cleats. Maybe the injuries piled up. Maybe you wanted to start a family or a business. Whatever the reason, you walk away from the league. And then you hear the news: a player you knew, across the league, died by suicide. You remember his name, maybe even a game you played against him, and you wonder, what happened? Why?

A few months later, another player dies by suicide. Then another. Then your place kicker, your running back, your coach, and even the water boy. One by one, gone. And you ask yourself: why didn’t they get help? Why didn’t they reach out? Most importantly, why didn’t I?

Now imagine this: if the NFL faced a suicide crisis, if players were dying at this rate, every university across the United States would be conducting a case study on why, every news outlet would be reporting on it and, every policymaker would be demanding answers. And billions of dollars would be funneled directly into learning how to end the suicide epidemic in the NFL.

But this isn’t the NFL. This is our veteran community. Every single day in the United States, more than 22 veterans die by suicide. That’s over 6,400 lives in 2022 alone, a slight increase from the year before. And that number only counts those the Deptartment of Veterans Affairs defines as “veterans.” It excludes thousands of former service members. National Guard, Reserves, and others who served honorably but don’t meet the VA’s technical criteria. When you include them, the real number is closer to 44 lives lost per day, according to America's Warrior Partnership's study, Operation Deep Dive (OpDD)

And here is the truth: the federal system is failing. Millions of dollars are poured into outdated, medication-heavy models that haven’t solved the problem. Suicide rates remain high, and veterans keep falling through the cracks.

This is where veteran focused organizations like 22Mohawks step in. On the ground, every day, working directly with veterans. We’re bridging the gap with unconventional programs that work, programs that build resilience through physical challenge, reconnect veterans to purpose, and provide mental health support outside of the traditional system. Whether it’s airborne operations, strength training, peer-to-peer connection, companion dog programs, or retreats that restore brotherhood and identity, these initiatives are saving lives in ways the old system simply cannot.

The nonprofits closest to the community already have the answers. They’re doing the work. They’re proving that when you combine innovation with compassion, and action with accountability, veterans respond. They heal and thrive.

If we would rally to save the NFL from a suicide epidemic, we must rally even harder to save the lives of the men and women who fought for us. And that means putting resources where they belong which, is into the hands of the organizations that are truly making a difference, one veteran at a time.

Key Data & References

1. VA-Reported Daily Veteran Suicides:
   • In 2022, there were 6,407 veteran suicides, an average of approximately 17.6 deaths per day.
     Boston 25 News+15RAND Corporation+15Mental Health VA+15Mission Roll Call+1
2. Adjusted Suicide Rates Among Veterans:
   • The age‑ and sex‑adjusted suicide rate for veterans was 34.7 per 100,000, compared to 17.1 per 100,000 for nonveterans in 2022.
     RAND Corporation+1
3. Operation Deep Dive (OpDD) Findings – Underreported Suicide & Self-Injury Mortality:
   • OpDD estimates at least 44 veteran and former service member deaths per day, when including not only confirmed suicides (~24/day) but also “self-injury mortality” such as overdoses (~20/day)—a figure 2.4 times higher than VA’s estimate.
     Mental Health VA+15Mission Roll Call+15AWP+15
4. Combat Fatalities vs. Veteran Suicides Since GWOT:
   • Though specifics weren’t in the recent sources, it is well-documented that over 7,100 combat-related deathshave occurred since the Global War on Terror, versus 130,000+ veteran suicides, underscoring the magnitude of the issue.