Friday marks one year since New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez received the worst phone call of his life.

Keith Miller III, whom he'd shared the football field with from little league through high school and college at Colorado, had passed away. The dear friend whose smile and energy could lift an entire room had been fighting an internal battle no one could see.

"Personally, I wasn't super big into mental health until recently," Gonzalez shared Thursday afternoon, addressing hundreds of high school students who traveled to Gillette Stadium for the KyleCares Foundation's third annual Teen Mental Health Conference.

"For those who don't know, my friend Keith passed away. Tomorrow marks one year, so that's why I wanted to learn more about mental health and get in touch to start working with KyleCares. It means everything to me now to just come out here and talk to the younger generation and congratulate you all. Just make sure you continue to push, and talk to people, and know you're not alone. It goes a long way."

Collaborating with the Patriots Foundation, this year's KyleCares Conference drew nearly 600 students and advisers from 37 schools across Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Through inspiring speakers, breakout sessions and interactive workshops, the goal was for students to gain the confidence and tools to drive positive change in their schools by fostering a supportive and informed community while normalizing mental health conversations and encouraging help-seeking behaviors.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, whose office is focused on the harmful effects of addictive technologies and social media on the well-being of youth, delivered opening remarks. After the lunch break, both Gonzalez and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel had a chance to speak to the group.

"I would say on behalf of our organization and our football team, I want to tell you how proud we are of you guys as students to be able to talk openly about mental health," Vrabel said.

"That's not something that happened when I was younger or even just a few years ago, so congratulations to you all for being leaders in your schools and in your community."

Along with Vrabel, safeties coach Scott Booker, cornerbacks coach Justin Hamilton and defensive assistant Kevin Richardson attended the conference in support of Gonzalez.

"You're not alone in the struggles that you have and the battle that we make sometimes in our minds," Vrabel added.

"When you ask somebody how they're doing, and they tell you, stop and listen and then ask a second question. It's important that we aren't making light of that, and we want people to know that we care about them. It's important to us as a football team and as a community. The same way that Christian and his teammates train their bodies, we want to train our minds. These things are critically important, and I can't tell you how proud I am of Christian for being a part of this foundation to share and encourage you guys to be leaders in this."

Gonzalez has worked with the KyleCares Foundation since last May.

Shortly after attending Miller III's funeral and returning to Foxborough for OTAs, the corner saw a sign-up sheet for a community event involving the nonprofit.

The KyleCares Foundation was started by Jim Johnson and his family after his son, Kyle, died by suicide in 2018. Their mission is to eliminate student self-harm and suicide by creating school environments where students and their caregivers have the confidence and resources to seek help without shame or hesitation. This piqued Gonzalez's interest.

He joined a few teammates last May at North Attleborough High School to meet with students and learn more about mental health. The relationship grew from there, with Gonzalez even honoring KyleCares last season through the NFL's My Cause My Cleats initiative.

Using his platform as a rising star in the league, he wants kids to know that even professional athletes aren't immune to adversity. It's OK to ask for help.

"I think it's awesome what y'all are doing, especially being in high school," Gonzalez said.

"I don't think I would have been able to do that in high school, so it's very impressive what y'all do, and I don't think you should take this for granted."

Learn more about the KyleCares Foundation here.