CHARLOTTE, N. C. -- Craig Young had the typical concerns of a parent when his son, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, was benched two games into the 2024 season.
He knew as a licensed therapist and mental health professional that he had provided the foundation for the 23-year-old to handle a difficult situation for a young NFL quarterback.
But until the elder Young stepped back and watched his son lean on what he had taught him -- including the belief that football doesn't define him -- there were moments when he wondered how things would turn out.
"Sometime, a couple of weeks after [being benched], I noticed a calm and peace from him,'' Craig said. "It was then I knew he was gonna be OK.''
About 250 kids attending the "Young 9 Foundation'' football camp at Johnson C. Smith University on Saturday got a glimpse of how Young's understanding of mental health helped the former Alabama star get through the toughest moment of his football career.
"Regardless of how far football or sports or whatever takes you, mental health is something that will take you further,'' Young told kids gathered around him. Their ages ranged from 6 to 14. "It's something we all go through. It's a part of all of our lives. There's good and bad days for all of us.''
Panthers' QB Bryce Young tells kids at his foundation camp about the importance of mental health. pic.twitter.com/yjhrYwEi8r
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) June 7, 2025
Young had a lot of bad days in 2023 during his 2-15 rookie season, and they got worse during a 0-2 start last season. He had a Total QBR of 8.9 that ranked last in the NFL and was the third worst in league history over a two-game stretch since ESPN began tracking the stat in 2011.
That led coach Dave Canales to bench the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, as many began to call Young a bust.
But he continued to do the things -- breathing exercises and meditation -- that helped make him a successful football player. He continued to exude the leadership qualities that were a big reason why Carolina traded up eight spots to draft him No. 1 in 2023.
Canales called Young's background in mental health a huge reason why the quarterback turned things around after he was reinstated as the starter following a car accident that sidelined veteran Andy Dalton with a sprained thumb.
"There are all these challenges, especially for young players, particularly young quarterbacks, with all the expectations,'' Canales said, while Young was having fun with his camp kids a few feet away. "The players like Bryce, who can look at the situation and say what can I do about it? What's controllable? What's in my hands? Those are the ones that succeed.
"That's the preparation, that's your work ethic. The biggest thing I can say about Bryce is he never stopped leading. He just kept working and was poised and ready for the next opportunity, and then he was able to take advantage of that.''
Young's turnaround was gradual. But what he did the final four games -- going 2-2 while throwing eight touchdowns with two interceptions, plus four rushing touchdowns -- showed Canales and general manager Dan Morgan the quarterback has the potential to be elite.
"If you can get yourself to a point to be comfortable with the expected and to say, 'This is what I can control,' then it puts things in perspective,'' Canales said. "I really saw him grasp that.''
Young's teammates saw that, too. Nine of them came to the camp, the weekend before wrapping up offseason workouts with a three-day mandatory minicamp beginning Tuesday, showing their belief in the quarterback.
"Mental health is real in the sports industry,'' second-year wide receiver Xavier Legette said at the camp. "That's what helped him. He never gave up. He knew what needed to be done and took off with it.''
Bryce Young and the family of the Panthers' quarterback show kids how to do breathing exercises for their mental health. pic.twitter.com/x7fRynJmOL
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) June 7, 2025
Young didn't go into detail about his experience while speaking to campers. But he and his family showed them how to do breathing and meditation exercises.
They also included a note in each camper's gift bag explaining how to do the exercises.
"Meditation is something that has been a part of my routine for a while,'' Young said. "It allows me to stay centered whenever I feel like I'm going through something. It's like a reset button.''
Young also focused on having fun, just like when he was a kid attending camps -- none bigger than one held by the late Kobe Bryant, a childhood hero. Young is always amazed by questions he gets asked, such as the time a kid wanted to know if he had $1,000.
"I was like, 'I do, I do,''' said Young, who is heading into the third year of his four-year, $37.96 million rookie deal. "Like, he went crazy. I also remember being six or seven and thinking $1,000 was the maximum money you could have in life.''
And no, Young never asked Bryant a question.
"I was probably too nervous,'' he said. "But I remember [Kobe] really dapping up every single kid. We were all like, 'We're never washing our hand again.' That was definitely a great memory.''
Young wouldn't call last season a great memory. But he'll always remember it as an important time in his life, as leaning on the things his father taught him helped it from becoming a nightmare.
"Sometimes when the worst thing that you can conceive outside of death or something happens to you, then you're strong on the other side,'' Young's dad said. "Throughout his football journey he's always known success, and not just minor success, major, colossal success.
"Having that adversity, you look at things a little bit different.''
Young hopes kids at his camp have a better grasp of that importance now.
"For me, it's the foundation,'' Young said. "One of the things that makes it so important, so special, is it's something that connects all people.
"We all have our own journeys with our mental health. And I'm a firm believer that you have to take care of yourself in order to take care of others, in order to take care of what you do for a living.''