According to the St. Louis Children’s Hospital, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 24, and it is the third-leading cause of death among student-athletes ages 15 to 24. In a 20-year study, University of Washington analyzed how many deaths occurred in NCAA Division 1, 2, and 3 sports. During this study 1,102 athletes unfortunately lost their lives, and 128, 11.5%, of those deaths were suicides. Morgan Rogers, a Division 1 lacrosse player at Duke University, was a part of that 11.5%.
Rogers grew up in Fauquier County, Virginia, and attended Kettle Run High School. She played high school lacrosse there, and received countless offers from high-end Division 1 programs, and in 2014, committed to becoming a Blue Devil at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. According to the Morgan’s Message website, “Morgan began to experience high levels of anxiety; however, she received tremendous support and professional help that proved beneficial at that time.”
Rogers was described “as a beloved daughter, sister, friend and teammate,” and by peers and teachers, was described as “a bright student with limitless curiosity; on the field, a talented athlete with relentless drive; in her sketchbook, a gifted artist with keen attention to detail; and in all spaces, a fiercely loyal friend,” according to the Morgan’s Message website.
However, just before her sophomore year of college, in 2017, while practicing, Rogers injured her knee. She had level-three tears to her ACL and MCL, and her meniscus was damaged. According to the Morgan’s Message Website, “Morgan’s self-worth plummeted.” Although she attempted to continue to stay strong on the field and optimistic, she felt as though “she was not living up to her expectations.” Rogers, despite her efforts, was not able to find help, and took her own life on July 11, 2019 at the age of 22.
Morgan’s Message is a 501(c)(3) – a nonprofit organization that is exempt from federal income tax because it operates only for charitable, religious, educational, scientific, or literary purposes – co-founded by Dona Rodgers, Clare Kehoe Zychowski, Kat Zempolich, and Meaghan Birnie.
Dona Rodgers, the mother of Morgan Rodgers, serves as the Board Chairman and President of Morgan’s Message. Zychowski played on the same lacrosse team as Morgan in high school, and became best friends with her after playing high school lacrosse with her for four years and attending Duke University alongside Morgan. Zempolich played lacrosse at Duke University and for one year, played with Morgan. Birnie, however, did not know Morgan personally. She attended Penn State University, and was a member of the Women’s Club Lacrosse Team.
Junior Elizabeth Burns plays lacrosse at Morgan, and as of this year, is now an ambassador for Morgan’s Message.
“I had heard about the program through sports and lacrosse tournaments, but the first time I was really introduced to it was in my freshman year when we fenced Cheshire High School, and they had dedicated the match to Morgan’s message. Ever since then, it’s been like a really big part of my life, and I’ve been just trying to do everything I can to kind of get involved in the organization and create something that could be a really good addition to Morgan,” Burns explained.
To be an ambassador for Morgan’s Message on paper means to bring their message to the ambassador’s school and sports teams, and to be a leader and role model on and off the field that people are able to open up to.
However, to Burns, it means a lot more than that. “As someone who has struggled with mental health before, specifically around sports, it means a lot to be able to help others and bring it to Morgan,” Burns began. “Morgan’s message has always been a really big thing in my life. I’ve always kind of cared about it since I found out about it, and I think it’s a really amazing organization, and I’m so glad to be a part of it.”
To become an ambassador, Burns had to sign up “through the application on the website, and then I had to attend a meeting to be officially recognized as an ambassador. I decided to start it but I wanted to bring Morgan’s message to Morgan.”
Burns shared how she has always been interested in bringing awareness to mental health in sports, and Morgan’s Message felt like the perfect program for her to be involved in. “I was talking to a bunch of my friends from one of my lacrosse teams who are also Morgan’s Message ambassadors, and when they were explaining the program and what they do for it, I knew that was something I wanted to do and bring to Morgan to get people involved.” However, that was not the first time Burns had been introduced to Morgan’s Message.
Emerson Dunning, a junior on the Morgan girls lacrosse team, is taking the step to becoming an ambassador next year. “Because I think it is something that is very important, and I’ve seen it at all my tournaments,” Dunning began. “Morgan’s Message is often at big tournaments I do for lacrosse, and they all try to make sure athletes from all over are bringing the message back to the community.”
Dunning will also be a part of the club that Burns is founding. “I’m excited to join because I think athlete mental health is very important, and being a part of this club is a great way to help bring awareness to it in our school.”
However, Burns is still speaking with potential advisors to begin holding meetings for the club. “Once the club is started, my job will be to plan and run meetings and events, and kind of help with stuff like that. But right now, as we’re trying to get it in the beginning, I’ve had meetings with Mrs. Hagness and some of the other social workers to try to get everything in order to make sure everything looks good,” Burns explained.
Suicide is one of the most common reasons for death in High Schools, but it is also one of the most avoidable deaths. At Morgan, there are countless staff members trained to help students, whether it be Ms. Sloat or Ms. Tranquilli, there is always someone who is willing to help.
