Tag: David Baker

Feb 1, 2020; Miami, Florida, USA; Pro Football Hall of Fame president David Baker announces the class of 2020 inductees during the NFL Honors awards presentation at Adrienne Arsht Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Pro Football HOF president David Baker retiring

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Pro Football Hall of Fame president and executive director David Baker announced his retirement on Saturday.

Baker, 68, is stepping down effective immediately to return to his home, family and business projects in California and Nevada.

“I have come to the conclusion that it is time for someone else to have the ‘best job in the world’ so I can still do a few more exciting things in my professional life while also returning home to our four children, 10 grandchildren and soon-to-be great grandson in Orange County, California, who I’ve missed so much during my tenure at ‘The Most Inspiring Place on Earth,’” Baker said in a news release.

Baker has turned over the day-to-day operations but will continue to represent the Hall of Fame at ceremonies at NFL stadiums across the country honoring the members of the Centennial Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell praised Baker, who took over in January 2014, for expanding “the Hall’s brand nationally and footprint locally in Canton, Ohio.”

“His mission to honor and support the heroes of the game will be one of his most lasting and important legacies,” Goodell said. “We are grateful for David’s many contributions and extend our utmost thanks and best wishes to Colleen and him.”

Jim Porter, 57, has been named as the new president. He previously served as the Hall of Fame’s chief marketing and communications officer.

–Field Level Media

Feb 1, 2020; Miami, Florida, USA; Pro Football Hall of Fame president David Baker announces the class of 2020 inductees during the NFL Honors awards presentation at Adrienne Arsht Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Football HOF starts mental health program for players

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has created an avenue to help current and former players and their families with mental and behavioral health issues.

Called Hall of Fame Behavioral Health, the program’s mission will be “to make mental health and the treatment of issues surrounding athletes and those who care for them destigmatized, accessible and widespread,” the Canton, Ohio-based Hall of Fame said in a news release issued Thursday.

Ambassadors to the program include Hall of Fame members Ronnie Lott, Brian Dawkins, Steve Atwater, Tim Brown and Andre Reed, along with current players Adrian Peterson and Calais Campbell.

“We have to end the stigma surrounding mental health, and that includes athletes,” Dawkins said. “It’s OK to ask for help and to reach out if you are having issues. It’s OK not to be OK. But it’s not OK to stay that way — because our silence is killing us and damaging our families.”

The program can be accessed through a call center and a crisis line that will pair the athletes with accredited treatment and counseling services across the country. Issues they can address will include addiction, performance anxiety and post-career transition. It has partnered with a dozen health and wellness centers around the country that will provide services.

“The Pro Football Hall of Fame has always been about protecting the most important part of the game of football: the players,” said David Baker, the Hall’s president and CEO. “With Hall of Fame Behavioral Health, our mission is to make mental and behavioral health services that meet the Hall of Fame’s standards of excellence easily accessible and available not only to Hall of Famers but to every player of this game, the people who support them and the kids dreaming about one day playing in the League.”

Wes Cain, the president and CEO of Hall of Fame Behavioral Health, said taking the first step to getting help is most important.

“Whether it’s affordability, access or simply saying the words ‘I need help’ to a trusted friend, current and retired athletes have faced an uphill battle in seeking and receiving mental health services. Our goal is to let everyone know that if you are a first-ballot Hall of Famer or a practice squad player, we hear you and we are here to support you. No one should be left behind on their journey to live a healthy life.”

–Field Level Media