When news broke last week that Rondale Moore, a 25-year-old former Atlanta Falcons player, died by a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound, it stunned fans and coaches while raising alarm with mental health professionals.
Authorities in New Albany, Indiana, said Moore was found dead in the garage of a property in the area and that his death is under investigation.
Moore’s death highlights a broader public-health crisis: the rise of suicide among young adults, especially young Black men, in the U.S. and in Georgia.
Analysis from Stateline using federal data shows that suicide is claiming more lives among Gen Z adults, roughly ages 18 to 27, than it did a decade ago when millennials were the same age.
The report found that the increase is not evenly spread across populations, as 85% of the growth in suicide deaths among Gen Z is among Black and Hispanic men, with the largest spikes occurring in Southern and Midwestern states, including Georgia.
In Georgia, the increase in suicide among men 18 to 27 was among the highest in the nation, rising by 70% between 2014 and 2024.
Michael Giglio, executive director of Giving Health, a nonprofit organization that offers free virtual primary care and mental health services for low income and uninsured residents, said that the majority of its clients are Black and face barriers to accessing mental health services.
“It can be very difficult to access affordable mental health services, and in Georgia, further complicating the challenges, there’s a significant shortfall in the number of mental health providers for population size,” Giglio said.
Giglio said that the lack of access to mental health services and support from community or individual relationships play a large role in male suicides.
“Those three things can really overwhelm and overcome someone who’s struggling, that doesn’t have a trusted, intimate relationship with a friend, a family member, a partner, and doesn’t have the resources to seek out counseling, or there may be cultural hesitation to pursue counseling as well,” Giglio said.
Giglio said some of the stressors facing men who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts could be anything from finances to a history of abuse and trauma — and for Black men in particular, race-related trauma.
A study from the University of Georgia in 2024 revealed that being raised in an environment with limited resources and facing racial discrimination in early adulthood can hinder the ability to form healthy, trusting relationships. Deep mistrust and wariness toward others may result in social isolation, which can ultimately lead to thoughts of death and suicide.
“I think we often don’t look at where the disparities are and who the individuals most at risk are when we’re talking about suicide ideation,” Michael Curtis, co-author of the study, told UGA Today. “We just know it’s bad, and particularly among young Black men.”
“Historically, research has not invested a lot of time and effort in looking into what are the unique cultural contexts that make certain men more at risk for suicidal thoughts than other men,” Curtis said.
In an interview last year with Capital B Atlanta, Morehouse College President F. DuBois Bowman said that the all-male HBCU is working to increase services to address the mental health issues of its students after a spate of suicides in recent years.
“One of the things we’ve seen shifting very rapidly is the demand for increased mental health support. That is on college campuses, but in society more broadly,” Bowman said.
“We see issues of anxiety. We see issues of depression show up on our campus with excellent students who are very capable of succeeding, but we have to make sure we figure out how to support them in their journeys,” he said. “I think it’s our responsibility at Morehouse, and in the higher education landscape more generally, to think about how best to do so.”
A standout at Purdue University, Moore was selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. After three seasons in Arizona, he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 but suffered a knee injury during training camp, preventing him from ever playing a game for Atlanta.
He was remembered by the team on social media: “Rest in peace, Rondale Moore. Our thoughts and prayers are with Rondale’s family and friends.”
If you or someone you know is thinking about self-harm, call or text 988 to connect with the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and speak with a compassionate, trained counselor 24/7. This service is free and confidential.
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