The Menninger Clinic: 12th Annual Signature Luncheon with NFL Hall of Famer Charles Haley

Former professional football player and five-time pro-bowler Charles Haley is known for his winning roles on the field; however, it’s what he’s been doing off the field that is putting him back in the spotlight. Upon retiring from the National Football League in 1999, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder – a mental illness he didn’t know he had. Haley shares all this in his 2016 memoir, “Fear No Evil: Tackling Quarterbacks and Demons on My Way to the Hall of Fame.”

Since being diagnosed, Haley has become an advocate for mental health, encouraging professional athletes to speak openly about their mental health struggles because, in his words, “silence is a killer.” At the luncheon, Haley will share his journey from not understanding his mental illness to how he is now tackling it head on.

Menninger Clinic Foundation Director Kathy Flanagan, MD, and Menninger Clinic Director Susan Sportsman, RN, PhD, are event chairs.

The goal of The Menninger Clinic’s Annual Signature Luncheon is to bring crucial conversations about mental health to the forefront during National Mental Health Awareness Month. Proceeds from the luncheon help to advance mental health training, research and treatment at Menninger, which ranks among the top ten psychiatric hospitals in the country according to U.S. News & World Report.