“Gray Devils Championing Wellness: Duke University Alumni Sports Organization Partners with Onrise for Mental Health Services”

Discussing athlete mental health usually involves conversations in the present tense, focusing on issues plaguing current athletes whose lives are consumed by and dedicated to the sport they love. The saying holds true that "athletes live two lives" – one during their playing career, and one afterwards -- but it is equally important to prioritize well-being during both time periods. 

Two things can be true at once: athletes of yesterday and today both need resources to help them in their student-athlete journey and when they are done playing. 

The storied Duke University Lacrosse program’s alumni organization, the Gray Devils Lacrosse Foundation, is an alumnus-founded non-profit comprising over 500 Duke Lacrosse alumni who have started their “second life.” Whether you graduated from the Duke Lacrosse program in 2024, or twenty years ago, you’re considered a Gray Devil. Founded by Duke alumnus Mike Fidgeon in 2014 and gaining 501c3 status in 2018, the Gray Devils are a mission-based brotherhood of former players committed to fostering community, developing holistic opportunities, and simply "doing more."  

Fidgeon, who founded the Gray Devils after noticing an opportunity to create an alumni community of former players, recently saw another opportunity to take the next step as an organization. 

“In response to recent losses within the Duke Lacrosse Alumni network, including the tragic loss of Will Aherne, the Gray Devils Lacrosse Foundation, in partnership with Onrise, has committed to ‘doing more,’” said Fidgeon.  “By harnessing the lived experiences and strengths of its members, it aims to provide essential mental and behavioral health support to alumni and friends, ensuring no one faces life's challenges alone.”  

“We initially wanted to create a text line for former players to provide an open resource to those struggling,” Fidgeon stated. “But to handle the referrals and resource requests, we knew we needed a solution that was equipped to process that. Onrise was that solution.” 

While the Gray Devils engage in many charitable efforts, the partnership with Onrise highlights a different part of their mission - wellness. Due to their partnership with Onrise, former Duke Lacrosse alums will have access to peer support delivered by retired athletes, licensed therapy and psychiatric care to assist them wherever they are in their mental health journey. The goal is total wellness in both lives, not just one. Prioritizing the mental health of athlete alumni, the Gray Devils are setting a new standard in what it means to holistically care for athletes. 

The Gray Devils organization serves as an example that a commitment to athlete mental health is not subject to a timeframe but rather a lifetime. Through their extensive initiatives and partnerships, they are redefining what it means to holistically care for athletes, championing wellness in both lives, not just one. 

Emanuel Du Bois McGirt Jr. is a former five-year scholarship football student-athlete from North Carolina State University. Driven by a childhood passion, he pursued a major in English with a concentration in Language, Writing, and Rhetoric, distinguishing himself as the only student-athlete contributing to the school paper, The Technician. As a former All-ACC Scholar Athlete, McGirt has been recognized for his scholastic and athletic achievements throughout his life. He is a former professional athlete, who spent a brief time in the CFL before transitioning to the professional realm where he currently serves as the post-graduate Division I Governance intern for the NCAA. In his free time, he enjoys blog-writing, cooking, hanging with family and friends, working out, and watching sports.