A Dundee rugby team set up in memory of a player who took his own life is to host a series of mental health talks featuring former All Black Ben Atiga.
Keen sportsman and former soldier Adam Grassie died in 2016 aged just 25, leaving his friends and family devastated.
Team Adam XV was set up in the wake of his death in aid of suicide prevention and has organised several fundraisers for Samaritans and Papyrus.
And the team is to put on seminars named Playing On next week at David Lloyd in Monifieth to help promote open discussion on sport, fitness, and mental health.
Full-back Atiga, who was capped once for New Zealand, will give a talk on Wednesday about his own mental health battles including a period of depression.
Adam’s death ‘affected many people’
It’s hoped the seminars will get more people to open up to those close to them if they are struggling or check in on friends and family.
Scott McIntyre, Adam’s friend and former teammate at Morgan Wasps, has been leading the effort alongside Greig Simpson and Greg Smith.
He said: “Adam’s death affected everyone a lot, including me.
“Obviously for all the people closest to him it was really hard.
“Guys still find it tough to speak about it.
“Setting up the team gave us a chance to honour his memory and we want to keep it going after the pandemic forced us to pull back on a few things.
“We hope these talks will get people speaking about mental health.”
Adam played as a junior player at Morgan and had served in the Royal Engineers.
He was also a Dundee MMA team member.
Atiga to speak about own troubles
New Zealand-born Atiga, who is half-Samoan and half-Tongan, has spoken openly about some of the challenges he faced during his professional career and in his personal life.
He revealed he once got to “a really dark place” and even quit the game aged just 25 before eventually returning.
Having retired in 2015 due to chronic knee and hip problems, he is now player development manager for Edinburgh Rugby and set up the ‘Rugby for Life’ initiative there.
Scott, 32, hopes Atiga’s talk will send a powerful message.
“Ben Atiga was obviously a well-known player and he will be able to bring the conversation forward,” he said.
“He has been part of the professional set-up and so can speak about the pressures there but a lot of it is relevant for grassroots sport as well.”
Scott added: “All the seminars will hopefully help destigmatise mental health and find solutions.”
Who else is speaking?
The talks are taking place on Monday and Wednesday from 6.30-9pm.
Monday: Rock Steady Boxing (non contact boxing organisation for patients with Parkinson’s disease) and Oddballs Foundation (testicular cancer awareness charity).
Wednesday: Ben Atiga, The Chris Mitchell Foundation (set up in memory of Stirling-born footballer Mitchell who took his own life in May 2016), and Dr Minha Rajput-Ray (an expert on the mental health impact of injury and illness).
It will be the second such event after one held in February this year featuring wellbeing and mental health expert Matthew Mason-Hames.
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