Olympian Michael Phelps Honored For Mental Health Advocacy
BOSTON (AP) — Michael Phelps is picking up more hardware — this time for what he's been doing outside the pool.
The Boston-based Ruderman Family Foundation, a leading voice in calling for more opportunities for the disabled, says the 33-year-old Olympic champion is the recipient of its fifth annual Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion.
The foundation tells The Associated Press it picked the world's most decorated swimmer of all time Tuesday to recognize his advocacy for people with disabilities and "his own journey with mental health."
Phelps, a Baltimore native, has gone public about his struggles with depression and thoughts of suicide.
Since retiring from competition after the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, he's been working to help people overcome the dark chapters in their lives.
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