We at Oxeia Biopharmaceuticals wanted to give Richard Sherman, his family and others close to him some time and space before reaching out following Richard’s interactions with his family and police on July 14th.

We are relieved that no one was harmed in the incident.  Our foremost concerns are for Richard’s mental health, overall well-being and his safety, as well as that of his family.  We understand and are encouraged that he is getting the help he needs.

Richard has been a positive force both on and off the field. In his role as a member of Oxeia  Biopharmaceuticals’ board of advisors for the past 5 years, we value the spotlight he has focused on the need for greater player safety, as well as the critical need for effective drugs to treat concussion symptoms and the underlying damage causing the symptoms. It is our hope that when ready, he can continue working with us to raise awareness about the concussion epidemic and its unmet medical need.

Research has shown that 35% of elite athletes deal with a mental health crisis. Because these elite athletes are so outstanding in their fields, we can forget that they pay a high price for their injuries and the ongoing competitive pressure to deliver peak performance, and may well be dealing with ongoing and persistent mental health issues.  We are seeing increasing numbers of professional athletes beset by mental health issues go public with stories of their struggles.

As a company that is working to find a cure to help the many people who suffer from ongoing symptoms of concussion, it is our hope that the overwhelmingly positive response from the media and fans to these athletes’ stories will help more athletes tune into their struggles and seek mental health care early on.