STAMFORD, Conn., June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Charles Haley, a member of the National Football League Hall of Fame Class of 2015 and the first player in league history to win five Super Bowls, will appear on the VoiceAmerica Talk Radio Network national podcast Next Steps Forward with Chris Meek on Tuesday, June 15.

“As a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan, I always enjoyed watching Charles Haley play for my favorite team in the 1990s and wreak havoc on opposing offenses. Charles proved by any questions that he’s tough and isn’t afraid of hard work, but to me, he’ll always be the NFL equivalent to baseball’s Babe Ruth,” Meek said. “While he’s one of the NFL’s absolute legends, equally impressive to his skills on the field is his honesty about his own struggle with bipolar and his work with former teammate Ronnie Lott within the mental health realm.”

Haley joined the San Francisco 49ers as a linebacker in 1986 as the team’s fourth-round draft pick, playing for the team until 1991 and then again from 1998 to 1999. After his trade to the Cowboys following the 1991 season, he made the transition to defensive end, which he played for the following four seasons with the team. Haley won his first two Super Bowls rings with the 49ers and three more during his four years with the Cowboys.

He was named the National Football Conference’s Defensive Player of the year in 1990 and 1994. He played in five Pro Bowls and was a two-time All-Pro selection, once as a linebacker and again as a defensive end. In 2014, Haley and Dallas Civic Leader Bob Bowie founded Tackle Tomorrow, a nonprofit organization to improve childhood literacy rates for students in underserved communities throughout Dallas, Texas. With dedicated education programming, one-on-one reading coaches, and family support services, Tackle Tomorrow has made a profound impact on the education of over 1500 students since its founding, inspiring and motivating the next generation to become lifelong learners. Since the conclusion of his professional football career, Haley has also become a mental health advocate, spreading awareness about living with bipolar.

“It’s important for people to hear what we often think of as an invincible athlete like Charles Haley speak candidly about mental health. In doing so, he sets an important example for others to feel more empowered about seeking help,” Meek said. “As a leading voice in mental health advocacy, he sets an example not just through his words but, most importantly, through his actions.”

Each week, Next Steps Forward features prominent leaders from the worlds of business, sports, entertainment, medicine, politics, and public policy. Meek, co-founder and chairman of SoldierStrong, a national nonprofit dedicated to connecting military veterans with revolutionary medical technology to help them take the next steps forward into life after service, hosts the informative, uplifting hour on the VoiceAmerica Talk Radio Network every Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.

CONTACT: CHRISTINA STROBACK
(319) 936-9300