Ohio State leadership 'thrilled to have support' from Ryan Day on mental health

COLUMBUS — Ohio State coach Ryan Day has put a good portion of his wealth where his mouth is, he and his wife Nina announcing Wednesday they have donated $1 million to the Ohio State University Medical Center to help fund a program of research and services that promote mental health.

It will be known as the Nina and Ryan Day Reslience Fund, to be located in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, and led by professor Dr. K. Luan Phan, chair of that department. The Days have for years championed work in the mental health realm with their foundation associated with Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

The recipient of a new Ohio State contract extension this year worth $9.5 million per year through 2028, believed to be sixth highest in the nation, Day and his wife wasted little time in “paying forward”, especially for a cause in which they believe.

“There’s no way five or 10 years ago you’d think you’d be in a situation like this, just on a day to day basis,” Day said of his sudden escalation of wealth since being named OSU head coach four years ago. “But certainly, what Gene Smith (OSU athletic director) has done for my family, and what (OSU) president (Dr. Kristina M.) Johnson has done,  and what the Buckeye community has done, we just felt like it was the right thing to do.

“So many people have poured into us and invested in our family, we just felt it was the right thing to do, to give back.”

Again, Day has walked the walk in regards to fostering an atmosphere of an open door and open mind with his Ohio State players who have concerns about their mental health. The challenge former player Harry Miller dealt with a year ago, contemplating suicide at one point before gaining help after a meeting with Day last year, is an example. But the coach says there are many more anonymous players who have sought counseling through the school’s Sport Psychology and Wellness Services team.  

Having dealt with the tragedy of being 8 years old when his father committed suicide, his goal really is to have such help available to anyone who needs it, including students at the university, while also perhaps identifying those who might have challenges before they become desperate.

“We already know much more than we did 10 years ago, we’re already breaking those stigmas, but like Dr. Phan said, with their great work and their research, they can start to learn more about risk factors and the things that lead to mental illness down the road,” Day said.

Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson was among those impressed with the financial gift from the Days, but not surprised.

“They are such great Buckeyes, great people,” Johnson told LettermenRow. “And they have been so supportive of our wellness initiative that we have on campus. I had a task force here my first year on health and well-being, so this is part of providing those kinds of resources, and I’m just thrilled to have that support from him.”

Again, Day and his wife were under no obligation to share their wealth with Ohio State, though.

“I think it just comes back to our mantra of ‘paying forward,’ “ said Johnson who, for example, earlier this year endowed a scholarship in the athletic department.

Dr. Phan is among those who are grateful to the Days for the gift, and said they are among “a number of people who have championed this space in Columbus, obviously the Schottensteins also gave us $10 million recently for focus on this very particular area.

“So the more people who join us, the more philanthropy we have, to build resource the better we will be off,” Phan said. “It’s really about what we believe in science to be high risk but also high reward. We’re not going to get funded (from regular means) to do this work because it’s not so traditional, so we have to think outside the box.

“The more we have resources to fund this kind of work, the better we will be off.”