Casualties of the NFL

[Genx87]

I have seen documentaries on these guys. A lot of them have severe nerve damage in their legs and hips that causes them to be unable to walk, early onset dementia, and heart issues. Many die in their 50s. The head trama is now getting the serious attention it deserves.

The most worriesome to me is the head trauma. These protein deposits form in the brain and wreak havoc on the brains of ex players. Having played through college. I worry this will affect me later in life.

 

[Elbryn]

What's stopping the current players from simply striking and going for a holdout until serious concessions are made?

Well...besides that whole not getting paid thing?

same reason why teens think that nothing can touch them? majority of players are younger who have that combination of pride in playing and the belief that it cant happen to them.

average salary is about a million per year, but these guys also spend alot. i'd guess that like the average american, they dont save alot for rainy days.

plus the union is at an inherent disadvantage. there are alot less owners than there are players. far easier for the owners to band together and stick to what they want. the union has leadership but if a strike happens and owners look for replacement players, you've got a large pool of folks in widely ranging situations that may be tempted to cross the line. in a worst case scenario, they stalemate, strike and owners still get paid tv dollars per their contract. the players live of saved money, and lose ground.

the owners have the resources to wait it out if they really want to. of course the big question looming to the owners is how a strike would effect the sport's popularity. they need the players to come back but they can afford to wait longer if it becomes a knock down, drag it out affair.

 

[PokerGuy]

I think the situation has changed now with the salaries of players getting extremely high. The reality is that today's players make enough money that they should be able to set aside a lot of money to use later in life. Players from years ago didn't make nearly that kind of money. The physical punishment they take can leave them unable to hold jobs and provide for themselves, and they simply didn't make enough when they were playing to save for the future.

It's shameful that the players union treats former players the way it does.

One big thing that could be done to help deal with the way the medical staff handles players is for the league to mandate that independent medical firms / professionals be used instead of team doctors beholden to the coach and team management. Perhaps the NFL should just contract with a firm that would be set up to be the "medical provider" for the league -- independent of the team or league owners.

 

[zinfamous]

The only thing worse than sports journalism is an even more long-winded sports piece that struggles endlessly to create yet another lame and meaningless story out of nothing.

 

[zinfamous]

1) Players get used up and thrown away by the NFL
2) Their player's union SUCKS

This has been going on for 20 or more years. The data about long-serving QBs, RBs, linemen, their horrible health and their often penniless and anonymous existence has been reported on for the same amount of tiem.

basically, this is nothing new. So....people will simply continue to ignore it. The league is dominated by kids wowed by that massive signing bonus, the feeling of perpetual riches and immortality. You aren't going to convince them that they may well be entering a shitty, future. That is where the money is, and that is why nothing will change.

:\

 

[Phokus]

I have seen documentaries on these guys. A lot of them have severe nerve damage in their legs and hips that causes them to be unable to walk, early onset dementia, and heart issues. Many die in their 50s. The head trama is now getting the serious attention it deserves.

The most worriesome to me is the head trauma. These protein deposits form in the brain and wreak havoc on the brains of ex players. Having played through college. I worry this will affect me later in life.

Considering your postings in P&N and your political leanings, i think it already has

 

[Ns1]

goddamn I love football but their actions to injured players is ridiculous.

wow.


wowowow.

 

[rise]

I think I read this story a while ago. At least one similar. Shame.

This is the stuff Goodell should be focusing more on now. It's long overdue. It is just recently that the NFL is putting independent doctors on each sideline and not allowing players to return after sufferring concussions. Fines are useless as the hits are not entirely avoidable. If they had been better monitoring players and the trainers and coaches who allowed them to return to games when they weren't ready, there would be fewr cases of the dementia that they're seeing now in retired players.

Obviously, accidents are going to happen, like in DeMarco's case but a lot of problems people are so shocked by now should have been curtailed long ago.

Not to sa that the wear and tear of an NFL career isn't going to result in some long term damage anyway...

And hopefully, under the bew CBA, we'll see a rookie wage scale with the saved money going to retired players and medical care for them.

 

[AMDZen]

The way some of this reads, its even difficult to believe

 

[Brigandier]

Good article, gridirongreats is now on my list of charities. I hope they like having a poor mofo send them $20 a year.

 

[darkewaffle]

This is pretty harrowing and I thought as far as sensationalism goes, it could be written a lot worse. I guess I'm glad I know now, but I agree with the "Never look at football the same way" sentiment.

I always 'knew' they did it but I guess I'd never heard of the drugging up of injured players in such gruesome detail, those bits really struck me. And that description of Coughlin and other coaches was pretty pathetic.

To think they want two more games in a season.

 

[lupi]

now that's a wall of text!

 

[ThePresence]

To think they want two more games in a season.

IIRC the two more games will replace two of the preseason games that they already play. So there will only be two preseason games.

 

[ThePresence]

Good article, gridirongreats is now on my list of charities. I hope they like having a poor mofo send them $20 a year.

I might get flamed for saying this, but I would only donate there if I was a really rich man. It's not that I don't feel for these guys, I really do, they got royally screwed, but they always had a choice not to go into a career which involves the kind of violence this does. I would instead donate my money to a place which supports unfortunate people who got dealt a bad hand in life and didn't have a choice in the matter.

Just curious, would you also donate to a similar organization for boxing veterans?

 

[Brigandier]

I might get flamed for saying this, but I would only donate there if I was a really rich man. It's not that I don't feel for these guys, I really do, they got royally screwed, but they always had a choice not to go into a career which involves the kind of violence this does. I would instead donate my money to a place which supports unfortunate people who got dealt a bad hand in life and didn't have a choice in the matter.

Just curious, would you also donate to a similar organization for boxing veterans?

Yes, but that would reduce my contribution to this charity. What other unfortunate people really need my monies? At least athletes try to do something.

 

[ThePresence]

Yes, but that would reduce my contribution to this charity. What other unfortunate people really need my monies? At least athletes try to do something.

There are thousands of charities. How about the Haiti earthquake victims? How about National Federation of the Blind? American Cancer Society? I don't know, there are thousands to choose from. Not everyone had a choice.

 

[CVSiN]

again.. no sympathy here...
they ALL went to colleges and should have gotten degrees ( have to make grades to play at least that's how its SUPPOSED to work..)

They knew going in that it wasn't a forever thing.
time to get over it and put that degree to work.

 

[Brainonska511]

again.. no sympathy here...
they ALL went to colleges and should have gotten degrees ( have to make grades to play at least that's how its SUPPOSED to work..)

They knew going in that it wasn't a forever thing.
time to get over it and put that degree to work.

Hard to do much work when you start developing dementia before you hit 50 or have other permanent disabilities that hamper your movements.

 

[CVSiN]

I might get flamed for saying this, but I would only donate there if I was a really rich man. It's not that I don't feel for these guys, I really do, they got royally screwed, but they always had a choice not to go into a career which involves the kind of violence this does. I would instead donate my money to a place which supports unfortunate people who got dealt a bad hand in life and didn't have a choice in the matter.

Just curious, would you also donate to a similar organization for boxing veterans?

royally screwed? they got paid VERY VERY Well (more than 10x+ the average person's salary for the most part) They should have saved some of that cash stead of buying coke and hookers and roids.

 

[Ns1]

Yes, but that would reduce my contribution to this charity. What other unfortunate people really need my monies? At least athletes try to do something.

hey man, pan handling for crack money is an art. easy to do difficult to master.

 

[Ns1]

royally screwed? they got paid VERY VERY Well (more than 10x+ the average person's salary for the most part) They should have saved some of that cash stead of buying coke and hookers and roids.

do you bother reading articles?

Exhausted, he retired at 30, having earned about a half-million dollars over seven years.

I'd love to know how much non-superstars get paid in this sport.

 

[ThePresence]

royally screwed? they got paid VERY VERY Well (more than 10x+ the average person's salary for the most part) They should have saved some of that cash stead of buying coke and hookers and roids.

First off, the guys that played years ago didn't get paid nearly as much. Secondly, even if they did, it's still the responsibility of the union to represent their interests. Additionally, football contracts are non-guaranteed. You get hurt, you get cut, and throw the contract out the window. It's only very recently that big time players started demanding big time signing bonuses for this very reason.

 

[crownjules]

royally screwed? they got paid VERY VERY Well (more than 10x+ the average person's salary for the most part) They should have saved some of that cash stead of buying coke and hookers and roids.

Just so you know, there are over 1900 players in the league per season. Only the top 100 or so pull down multi-million dollar salaries. The typical NFL player leaves having grossed maybe $1M. Definitely not too shabby if you don't suffer any lingering ill effects from the game, but that's no rich class type of money where you'll be set for life.

It's when you're legally classified as handicapped where the problems come in. Especially when the union that's supposed to represent you doesn't do that at all.

 

[Brigandier]

There are thousands of charities. How about the Haiti earthquake victims? How about National Federation of the Blind? American Cancer Society? I don't know, there are thousands to choose from. Not everyone had a choice.

Meh.

 

[erikistired]

perhaps instead of pissing away your high school and college education you should have learned a skill that would provide a lifetime of income instead of going for the quick cash.