Sbu Nkosi © Gallo Images
South African sport urgently needs to review what it is doing on the mental health front when it comes to elite athletes, Bulls CEO Edgar Rathbone said on Tuesday.
The Bulls CEO turned to journalists after Springbok World Cup winner Sbu Nkosi was found safe and sane after disappearing for three weeks, allegedly because he was struggling with mental health issues.
And while Rathbone described Nkosi’s family situation as “complicated” when asked why his family hadn’t informed the sports team of his whereabouts before he was found at his father-in-law’s house, the bigger question is to ensure that the Players are given the support they need to prevent a similar situation from happening again.
Rathbone, quoting Australia captain Michael Hooper who retired from the sport for a few months to focus on his mental well-being, underscored the fact that the sport needs to do more.
“There is a fantastic support structure at MyPlayers and even our team psychologist but I think this is another wake-up call for the sport. Now within 12 months we’ve seen Michael Hooper retire, Ben Stokes retire. This is a reality of modern professional sport,” Rathbone said.
“These aren’t machines, they’re people, and there’s tremendous pressure on them to perform every day. I think it’s just a wake-up call for all sports.”
The Bulls will review their own structures to see where they can improve player support and how the situation around Nkosi could have been handled differently. They also admitted that the South African Police Service interfered with their search for Nkosi instead of helping them as they were not family members.
“Obviously we’re not trained for scenarios like this and yes we probably made mistakes, but I think what we need to keep in mind is this: there’s also a player’s reputation that needs to be managed. Obviously, his safety is also a concern. It’s about finding the balance between these two elements. I think the steps we took by visiting all his known homes, contacting family members and calling him every day on all his numbers unfortunately ended up leading us to the police where no help came.
“Luckily for us, our partner SSG stepped in and provided that impetus, as did the media, and luckily we found him 48 hours later.”
While MyPlayers has mental health hotlines for players and teams conduct mental health screenings, the Bulls also have a full-time sports psychologist on their books who conducts one-on-one sessions with players and regular mental health screenings.
Rathbone said that while the team was thrilled to find Nkosi alive, he was “sad” to see him in the condition he was in.
“He is a gentle soul who has somewhat dimmed his light due to his current well-being. I am confident that we are in a good position to give Sbu the support he needs and that we should acknowledge his incredible courage to even tell us that he is not well.
“We as Bulls will now, together with our supporting partners, explore support mechanisms that we can introduce to our rugby community and hopefully this is the start of something great for South African rugby.”
Rathbone said the Bulls were lucky that this situation ended with Nkosi safe.
“Today we are lucky, but tomorrow our intervention could be too late and we don’t want to see that happen.”
MyPlayers released a statement on the situation, expressing their relief and pledged their support to the Bulls player.
“On behalf of our members, staff and board of directors, MyPlayers would like to express our great relief that Springboks and Bulls winger Sbu Nkosi has been found and is physically unharmed. We would also like to thank the Blue Bulls Company for their efforts in locating and reaching out to the player, and especially Bulls CEO Edgar Rathbone for including us as early as possible,” the statement said.
“As with other industries and professions, mental health challenges are widespread in the professional rugby industry and supporting athletes in this regard goes beyond the mere mental preparation for strong performances on the rugby field. Professional athletes are people first.
“The concern for Sbu’s safety over the past three weeks has reminded us of this. As much as we wish he didn’t have to experience this, the industry – from players to employers to representative organizations – should use this as an opportunity to introspect, learn, grow and the importance of supporting the psychic to increase health in our environment. By working more closely together, we can better proactively support athletes who need mental health support.
“As a player organization we are offering Sbu and the Bulls all the support they need during this time. Out of respect for Sbu’s privacy, we will not disclose the nature of our support, but we are grateful to be able to be there for him and his employer as we embark on this journey together.”
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