Pistons, ex-Michigan star speaking out on mental health in the wake of family tragedy
On August 19, the day that would’ve been Eli Robinson’s 35th birthday, his brother, Duncan Robinson, took to Instagram to share the story of his older sibling.As Duncan took an unlikely path from Division III basketball, to Michigan to the NBA, eventually joining the Detroit Pistons this summer, Eli had battled addiction since high school and a schizophrenia diagnosis in 2021 as he became sober.The pair kept close tabs on each other, Eli being Duncan’s biggest fan as he joined the NBA with the Miami Heat and Duncan being called Eli’s “whisperer” in moments when the auditory hallucinations turned the caring side of Eli’s character into a hypervigilant, protective paranoia, according to his family.On April 30, Eli climbed the Piscataqua River Bridge connecting Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to Kittery, Maine and jumped, taking his own life.While Eli’s death devastated the Robinson family, Duncan, his sister Marta Robinson Day, and their parents Elisabeth and Jeffrey, they don’t want to sit back and let his work as a fighter and advocate for sobriety and mental health fade away.Though a self-described “private person” Robinson is opening up about Eli’s life and death, hoping to do some good by establishing the Robinson Family Foundation.“The goal is to turn this pain into progress,” Duncan told NBC News, “and do it in a way that Eli’s name is remembered.”Robinson has described the three pillars of the foundation being mental health, heart health and physical activity and finding ways to help fund, educate and encourage people who are struggling.The hope for the Robinson family is to use their connections and experience inside the health care system to assist others as they navigate mental health issues.It can be a costly process to get the proper care and treatment necessary and even then the Robinsons’ fought against a “disjointed health care system” with regular communication break down between providers. The foundation will aim to keep families on track as they try and get vital treatment.The family also envisions being able to provide grant-based help for those in need. Initially in the wake of Eli’s death, the family pointed donations to Seacoast Mental Health Center, where Eli received treatment. According to the center’s vice president of community relations Kelly Hartnett, more than $120,000 has been raised.Duncan and his family are also advocating for more deterrents to suicide at local bridges in their home state of New Hampshire. The feasibility of installing fencing or netting of some kind around bridges is being studied by a government task force, which includes Hartnett.In the weeks after Eli’s death, signs that included a suicide-prevention help line were stationed around the Piscataqua River Bridge.Duncan was not initially open to the public or even his NBA teammates about the struggles his brother went through. He didn’t want to “embarrass” Eli or concern his teammates with the internal dealings of his family.Now, he wants people to know the good that Eli brought into the world and their family and not just the problems he fought hard to overcome.“Eli was not depressed. Eli loved life. Eli had a lot of relationships,” Duncan said. “Eli cared about his family, his people, more than anybody. Eli was tortured. Eli had a disease that he couldn’t shake, and he fought incredibly valiantly. And I think you know, as his family and the people closest to him, I think we all understand.“Doesn’t make it easy; makes it still incredibly hard. But it wasn’t that he was this person that was waking up every day saying, ‘I hate life, I hate this’; no, it was he just couldn’t do it anymore. ... I mean, imagine doing mundane tasks, driving to work, doing that, and just being entirely tortured, having voices in your head all day long. And he just had enough.”Duncan has encouraged people to stay tuned online for more initiatives from the Robinson Family Foundation, while taking an outward role in advocacy for those that are still fighting just like Eli did.“There were so many incredible moments where he won those battles,” Robinson said. “So I just want to acknowledge those.”If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
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