NDUR for Athletes is excited to announce that Michael Carter-Williams, a Syracuse University basketball standout and alumni, NBA Rookie of the Year (2014), 10 year NBA athlete and advocate for mental health, joins NFL alumni and co-founder Russ Cooke, UMASS Amherst alumni, and former CEO of Boston Coach, a Fidelity Investments owned company, along with Rob Feldman, co-founder, Babson College alumni, and edtech entrepreneur, to change the game in mental health support for college athletes, suited specifically for the needs of todays' on-the go-digital natives and their institutions. NDUR puts mental health support in the pocket of every athlete, on-demand when they need it, in one convenient app. Athletes often don't know what is available to them for support, or don't have the time to access counseling, often having to wait days or weeks for an appointment. NDUR's peer support model is a first line of support, and where 85% of athletes turn to first: their peers.
The company has seen rapid adoption of its nationally networked peer community with student athletes from over 60 campuses across the United States joining in the 2023/24 academic year, including 3 local universities (Boston College, UMASS Amherst, and Babson College).
NDUR for Athletes supports the need for expanded mental health and wellness support, and pushes the need for colleges to meet the NCAA’s newly published guidelines for best-practices and recommendations for a community based layered care model for mental health and wellness support. The NCAA’s new guidelines will become mandated by November 2025 for Division 1 athletic programs. The NDUR technology solution provides all colleges (small or large) a turnkey, affordable solution allowing colleges to adhere to these guidelines, without adding any internal resources for college athletic departments.
“The impact of Covid-19 and other stressors for today’s athletes have created an immediate need to improve the mental health and wellness support model for student athletes. Colleges have been scrambling the last few years to meet an increasing demand and need to support athletes”, says Carter-Williams who is leading the charge as NDUR’s Chief Relations Officer. The name for the solution is an acronym of the word “endurance”. It was chosen as it so appropriately describes one of the most important attributes or qualities needed to succeed as a student athlete.
NDUR provides the following key resources: a national network of peer to peer support where athletes can match up with others who share their same experiences, and challenges; 100% anonymous facilitating authentic and judgment free discussions; a library of educational resources; and finally a branded experience for each college that provides on demand access to campus counseling and support, as well as any number of 3rd party services, such as teletherapy. NDUR is unique as the only peer-to-peer network exclusively for college athletes. It is the only “off-the-shelf” affordable technology solution for college athletic departments to immediately implement and enhance their current programs.
“As an athlete at both the college and professional levels, I experienced first-hand the unique challenges of performing better both on the field and academically”, says Carter-Williams. Carter-Williams believes that connecting peers together to talk through their challenges is a first line of defense to proactively support athletes who are in need of a friend or listening ear - and in the NDUR community, which is exclusive for athletes, they all share the same unique life experiences.
Now more than ever before, college athletes and colleges need better access to tools, resources and support services when it comes to an effective model for supporting their athlete’s health and wellness. As schools and colleges navigate their strategy, NDUR provides college athletes and institutions the tools they need to create and maintain close connections during their college career, and beyond. “What better way to do this than in a fully connected, immersive and interactive mobile first experience geared towards student athletes”, says Carter-Williams.
Interested colleges, partners or investors can request a meeting and product information session with our team, by contacting us at: inquiries@ndurforathletes.health.
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