Katie Meyer was an outstanding goalie for the Stanford Women’s Soccer team. She helped her team win a national championship in 2019.[2] Tragically, Katie Meyer lost the battle with her mental health struggles in 2022 when she received an email from Stanford regarding disciplinary action against her.[3] Meyer first began her battle against mental health in 2021, when she spilled coffee on a Stanford football player who she believed sexually assaulted her teammate before the incident.[4] She tried to overcome the mental struggles many student-athletes face by talking with an assistant director of sports psychology in 2021.[5]Unfortunately, Katie was unable to successfully overcome her feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress due to the disciplinary action pending against her.[6]
Before discussing the new Katie Meyer Law, it is important to look at the current trend within the NCAA regarding student-athlete mental health. Katie is one of the many athletes who have faced mental health struggles within their collegiate careers. In the Spring of 2022 alone, five college athletes died by suicide.[7] Studies have shown that suicide rates have increased for NCAA athletes over the past decade.[8] It is now the second leading cause of death for student-athletes.[9]
To combat the alarming numbers above, in January of 2022, the NCAA Constitution implemented a rule that schools must follow to provide student-athletes with mental health resources.[10] Particularly, this new version of the Mental Health Best Practices amendment to the NCAA Constitution requires each school to “facilitate an environment that reinforces physical and mental health within athletics by ensuring access to appropriate resources and open engagement with respect to physical and mental health.”[11] In addition to these requirements, as of August 1st, 2024, Division I Schools will be required to attest to the services and support that the best practice model requires.[12] In other words, Division I schools will be required to report the mental health services they provide for the student-athletes at their universities. The hope is that this will emphasize the importance of these services and normalize the conversation around student-athlete mental health. However, there is a continued stigma against mental health and being a collegiate athlete. Specifically, a survey conducted by Lydia Bell, the Director of Research and Policy in the NCAA, found that 54% of men and 33%of women athletes feel comfortable talking to their coaches about their mental health.[13]
The conversation about mental health does not stop with the NCAA. Katie’s family has pushed for California to pass Katie Meyer’s Law. This law, which passed through the California State Assembly in January of 2024, would prioritize the mental health of not only student-athletes but students at universities in general.[14] The bill would “give[] students who receive a disciplinary notification the right to an adviser of their choosing and requires postsecondary education institutions to provide training for the adviser. When a student is accused of violating codes of conduct, the adviser will help them navigate the process.”[15] While narrow to Katie’s situation, her legacy and legislative initiative push forward the movement to normalize student-athlete mental health and find other ways to support students who need it.
[1] https://nypost.com/2022/03/03/stanford-soccer-player-katie-meyer-dies-of-suicide/.
[2] Dua Anjum, Bill in memory of Stanford goalie Katie Meyer aims to support college students in distress, VC Star, (April 19, 2024), https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/2024/04/19/katie-meyer-assembly-bill-1575/72979068007/.
[3] Natalie Nevins, Turning grief into action: ‘Katie wanted to change the world’, The Hawk Newspaper, (Mar. 20, 2024), https://sjuhawknews.com/31601/sports/katie-meyer-stanford-soccer-law/.
[4] Gabriel San Román, Family of Stanford soccer player Katie Meyer sues school over her suicide death, Los Angeles Times, (Nov. 26, 2022), https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-11-26/stanford-soccer-player-katie-meyer-wrongful-death-lawsuit.
[5] Dua Anjum, Bill in memory of Stanford goalie Katie Meyer aims to support college students in distress, VC Star, (April 19, 2024), https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/2024/04/19/katie-meyer-assembly-bill-1575/72979068007/.
[6] Id.
[7] Randi Mazzella, Why Do College Athletes Keep Dying by Suicide?, HealthCentral, (Jan. 5, 2023), https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/depression/college-athletes-how-to-help?legacy=psycom. We must remember the names of these student-athletes, as they will continue to help pave the way for normalizing student-athlete mental health and its importance. Katie Meyer, Robert Martin, Sarah Shulze, Laura Bernett, and Jayden Hill.
[8] See Bridget M. Whelan, et. al., Suicide in National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes: a 20-year analysis, (April 4, 2024), British Journal of Sports Medicine, https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/58/10/531.info.
[9] Id.
[10] Corbin McGuire, New NCAA Mental Health Best Practices approved for all schools to follow, National Collegiate Athlete Association, (Jan. 10, 2024), https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/58/10/531.info.
[11] Id.
[12] Id.
[13] Izzy Quam, NCAA director presents student athlete, Saint Michael’s College, (Feb. 22, 2024), https://www.smcvt.edu/about-smc/news/2024/february/ncaa-director-presents-student-athlete-mental-health-data/.
[14] Ian Cull, Katie Meyer’s Law: Bill named after Stanford soccer player passes through California Assembly, NBC Bay Area, (Jan. 31, 2024), https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/peninsula/katie-meyers-law-stanford-california-assembly/3439764/.
[15] Dua Anjum, Bill in memory of Stanford goalie Katie Meyer aims to support college students in distress, VC Star, (April 19, 2024), https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/2024/04/19/katie-meyer-assembly-bill-1575/72979068007/.
Alex Brockhuizen (’25) is pursuing her JD at the University at Buffalo School of Law, with a concentration in Sports Law. After graduation, she will be working at Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC. At UB, Alex is co-director of the Labor and Employment Law Society and Treasurer of the Buffalo Sports Law and Entertainment Law Society. She is also Business Editor of the Buffalo Law Review, where she was deemed a finalist of the Note and Comment Competition her 2L year. Alex is also a former two-sport athlete at Elmira College.
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