SANTA CLARA — Not only is this the first season Trey Lance feels fully healthy from a physical standpoint, but the 23-year-old has made significant strides with his mental health, too.
Speaking at OTAs on Tuesday, the 49ers third-year quarterback revealed he’s been working with a mental health professional to keep his mind right. Asked if the person was a sports psychologist, Lance said, “Something like that. It wasn’t provided by the team, but someone that someone knew for the team. But it wasn’t unique to me, like, ‘You need to go meet with somebody, you’re sad.’ I’m pretty positive. But it’s helped me a lot and I’m thankful to be here.”
Lance said meeting with a professional has kept him present, especially amidst an offseason in which he was recovering from ankle surgery and refining his throwing mechanics after a previous injury to his index finger created some bad habits. Now he faces an unknown role while the 49ers prepare to enter the season with three potential season-opening starting quarterbacks in Lance, Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold.
“I meet with people who help me set my mindset for the day regularly,” Lance said. “For me, it’s just being able to find ways to live in the moment. I think that’s one big thing I’ve focused on this year, as well as realizing how blessed I am to be in this position.
“I say it every single day, I play in the NFL. Hopefully the plan is for me to get on the field this year and really get this thing started. But gratitude is what I bring everything to. Bringing everything back into perspective.”
It shouldn’t be a surprise to see Lance taking care of his mental health after ESPN’s Adam Schefter previously reported that Lance’s psychological tests for the 49ers were “off the charts” and the 49ers considered him the smartest quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Lance isn’t the first NFL quarterback to see a sports psychologist nor will he be the last. Here are a few other notable QBs who have spoken publicly about utilizing mental health services:
Tom Brady
In 2020, Brady told the Howard Stern Show that a sports psychologist helped him overcome the difficulties of being a backup to Brian Griese at the University of Michigan before the Patriots took him in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.
“It’s a little emotional because it was a very vulnerable time in my life because I was questioning who I was,” Brady told Stern. “I had gone from [growing up in] California to Michigan. I was a long way from home in a different environment.”
The sports psychologist “wasn’t going to let me be a victim” and “had an amazing influence on my life,” Brady said.
Aaron Rodgers
In 2021, Rodgers advocated for more open dialogue surrounding sports psychology when he told the New York Times he felt like the NFL was far behind other sports in encouraging the use of mental health services.
“The masculine part of it is difficult, because there’s …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
