'This is a win': Mental health training for coaches signed into state law

Words that Matt Triplet had waited more than two years to hear finally met his ears shortly after 11 a.m. last Friday.

“I think you got a law passed, my friend,” Triplet was told by Eric Weldele, a lobbyist from Columbus-based Capitol Partners.

The DeSales boys lacrosse coach’s two-year crusade to mandate mental health training for high school coaches was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Mike DeWine as part of the state budget, turning what started as House Bill 492 into the first such law in the nation.

“Just the fact that it’s the first bill of its kind in the country, that’s a very important thing — and the fact that it wasn’t a heavily funded effort. There was no money behind it,” Triplet said. “The big thing I wasn’t prepared for (was that) easily over 1,000 people contacted me whether through social media, email, whatever it is … and they told me their stories.

“A lot of them were, this could have helped me, my children or this person I knew. They just want somebody who understands to hear their story.”

Coaches will be trained as they are certified over the next few years, rather than implementing the law at one time en masse. Most coaching permits are issued every three years, although some last for four or five years.

Mental health training can be combined with another course, according to the bill.

“It’s an amazingly good idea,” Olentangy boys lacrosse coach Kevin Burns said. “We get to know the kids fairly well, but to be able to spot where they need some help, this will be great for that.”

Sponsored by Reps. Mike Loychik, R-Bazetta, and Gail Pavliga, R-Portage County, HB 92 originally was introduced in summer 2021 but stalled over the next 18 months. It was reintroduced earlier this year and referred to the education committee but then stalled in the Senate.

Pavliga also serves as chair of the House Behavioral Health Committee.

Discussions with House Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, led to the bill being successfully integrated into the state budget in mid-June.

“We were in the 11th hour,” Weldele said. “You’re calling every member of the conference committee. You’re calling every member of the House and Senate who’s sitting in that room and trying to push the concept forward as good state policy.

“We’re in a situation from a societal standpoint where mental health is a big issue. The only people who spend as much time with children as their parents and teachers are coaches.”

Triplet is hopeful that other states will follow suit. He has worked with Marcus Alston, a former Division I football player from suburban Baltimore who is crafting a similar bill in Maryland.

HB 375 would require all public high school and college coaches to go through mental health training. Alston said the bill will be pre-filed this fall for consideration when the legislature convenes in January.

“I’m grateful that there are coaches like (Triplet) trying to think of ways to change the narrative around athletes’ mental health and well-being,” said Alston, who played for St. Francis University in Pennsylvania and started the Alston For Athletes foundation. “One thing we’d like to do, more so on my foundation’s side, is trying to take this further and go to multiple states and get it passed, then maybe take it on a national scale. There’s still a lot to be done, but this is a big step in the right direction.

“Even though I’m not an Ohio citizen, I want to celebrate because this is a win. Just think about how this will trickle down to the athletes.”