do nfl teams have enough regard for player safety?

[alocispepraluger102]

last night's national nfl telecast was a chance for the nfl to show off it's true colors.

unfortunately those colors are sickening.

roethlisberger, the pittsburgh qb, dragged his leg around for an entire half and more was a sitting target for players hoping to main him.

mccoy, the cleveland qb, received a vicious shot to his head, brain, and neck and was surely knocked out. after missing one play, a dazed mccoy reentered the game until it's end.

tv lights weren't allowed at mccoy's post game news conference. hmmmmmm. what does that sound like to you?

i love football, but not enough to continue watching it after i saw 2 players treated like cattle last night.

Edited December 9, 2011 by alocispepraluger102

[paul secor]

If the players don't care about their safety (and it's obvious that they don't, as long as they're paid enough), why should the NFL care? It's all about $$$$$$$$.

[Dave James]

I'm betting that in 5-10 years, neither the NFL or the NHL will look anything like it does today. Football and hockey are going to have to figure out how to modify their games to reduce he incidence of head related trauma. It's really not an option. If they don't, responsible parents of children who are athletically inclined are going to begin steering their kids towards non-contact sports like baseball and basketball and the pipeline for contact sports will begin drying up. The problem, needless to say, is how you take a sport where hitting is such an integral part of the game, significantly modify it and still retain interest in the sport itself. Hopefully, improvements in protective technology will play a role in making the changes that are necessary, but that can only go so far. This is a huge problem that from all outward appearances, neither the NFL or the NHL is willing to confront.

[Guy Berger]

I guess I just take it for granted that the NFL (and the viewing public) are indifferent to the health impact of the sport. The above is just par for the course.

Guy

[alocispepraluger102]

thx for the thoughtful comments dave and guy, in particular.watching the nfl last night was like seeing the girl you took home without make up. it's not at all pretty. all of a sudden, the masks came off the coaches.

Edited December 9, 2011 by alocispepraluger102

[alocispepraluger102]

a friend writes-----

I probably shouldn't be commenting on this as I absolutely....positively....without a doubt......hate football.

But, I do have an opinion.

My great grandfather played professional football. To the day he died he had ears the size of grapefruit for a special play they used to use to stop someone with the ball. I consisted of grabbing the player by both ears and pulling them to the ground. (before the days of modern helmets). Football players back then played until their bodies were so broken they could not walk much less play football anymore. All for the spirit of the game. They did not make the money they do now. My grandfather not only had to quit because his body was destroyed, but also as he could not make enough money to support his family.

Look, football has always been a very rough and dangerous sport. That is the why they get paid so much money for playing a game that most people play for free in high school, jr. high, or in their own back yards.

It just amazes me when people are so concerned about "next season" when a person gets injured and neglects the fact that a human being is having the hell beat out of him when he is severly injured. To blame the blood on the NFL and money, it kind of hypocritical when fans are sitting in their seats or on their couch still watching when the player is injured and still playing. I saw the result of what a career in football can do. I guess that is why I hate the sport so.

By theory, if their football career ends many have had a quality education in their college days to fall back on. Unfortunately, for most, the education is just a side effect of the drive to play football. So anything other than an ESPN sports reporter or a coach is out of the question.

Against my better judgement my son played in high school, and like a good mom I sat and watched as 2...and sometimes 3 or 4 players pummeled him into the grass. I watched them hold up fingers on the field and have him count them. I watched him shake his head to gather himself as he was walking back to his spot 10 seconds before the next play. All the time my grandfathers "grapefruit ears" stuck in my head.

Sending hurt players onto the field in not exclusive to big money. It's all connected to the drive that makes them go out there and get beat up in the first place.

Just my two cents.....

[alocispepraluger102]

i cannot understand why anyone who saw the blow administered to mccoy and his reaction would not know he had suffered too much force to his brain.

where is the common sense?

the nfl has a representative in each press box with a hotline to league headquarters in ny about such important things as players wearing headbands, religious wear, or the wrong color and style of shoes or halftime being too long.

apparently it isn't used for trivial things like concussions.

[PHILLYQ]

A few things CAN be done to reduce the incidence of concussions. At present it's a 15 yard penalty for a helmet to helmet hit, same as pushing an out-of-bounds player. Perhaps if the NFL started ejecting players for that it might reduce the incidence of helmet to helmet hits. Another issue is that, from what I can see, there's about 5-6 helmet to helmet hits per each one flagged. If the NFL cracked down a lot more on it...

The other more fundamental issue is that players need to be taught proper tackling technique. A lot of players now launch themselves headfirst as if they're missiles to make a tackle, resulting in a lot more concussions and missed tackles. But first there has to be a serious desire on the part of the owners to make the game safer.

[Dave James]

I think if you could somehow wave a magic wand and all the football players living or dead whose long term health is or was compromised as a direct result of playing the game could be identified, we would be stunned by the numbers. As it is, with only a handful of players whose brains have been analyzed post-mortem, there's no way to tell how widespread the problem really is. For years the NFL conspired to supress, obfuscate and redirect the discussion even though they were well aware of the seriousness of the issue. To me, that's at least negligent if not criminal behavior.

[GA Russell]

Some, including Mike Ditka, wonder if the game wouldn't be safer if they did away with all the protective gear, and played like the rugby players do.

[Shawn]

The fans (or at least many of them) WANT the players to beat the living hell out of each other, that's one of the primary draws of the sport in the first place. You constantly hear players and commentators bemoaning all the rules that have "softened" the game too much, especially around how daintily the QB's are treated and how all the rules are geared in their favor.

Players are supposed to "fly to the ball", when you have 3 defensive players all converging on one ball carrier at full speed, how can you consistently keep from hitting someone in the head? It's not possible. Huge men running at full speed and colliding with each other is inherently dangerous and that's just the way it is.

Don't get me wrong, I personally hate to see players get injured, but it's part of the game and always has been. It's a violent fucking sport, the players know this. The fans know this...and that's why many of them watch it. People love to see "the big hit", they love to see someone get taken down and then have to be helped off the field. Sure, they probably wouldn't admit to that, but it's the truth.

[PHILLYQ]

I think if you could somehow wave a magic wand and all the football players living or dead whose long term health is or was compromised as a direct result of playing the game could be identified, we would be stunned by the numbers. As it is, with only a handful of players whose brains have been analyzed post-mortem, there's no way to tell how widespread the problem really is. For years the NFL conspired to supress, obfuscate and redirect the discussion even though they were well aware of the seriousness of the issue. To me, that's at least negligent if not criminal behavior.

Out of the ones who have been studied post-mortem, the incidence of brain damage is extremely high. There are even some who get Alzheimers in their 40s! That has also been linked to repeated blows to the head.

[Jazzmoose]

Some, including Mike Ditka, wonder if the game wouldn't be safer if they did away with all the protective gear, and played like the rugby players do.

I agree to a point. The protective gear gives you a feeling of invincibility, encouraging more reckless play.

As far as player safety goes, it's a joke, and always has been. Career players are crippled for life, and that life is greatly shortened. There's nothing new here. As far as the NFL having any concern for player safety, the introduction of astroturf decades ago answered that question quite clearly.

[Jazzmoose]

If the players don't care about their safety (and it's obvious that they don't, as long as they're paid enough), why should the NFL care? It's all about $$$$$$$$.

That's an extremely callous, and I must add, ignorant comment. Most people who dedicate their lives to a dream, like eventually playing in the NFL rarely do it for money, particularly when they start as little kids. The NFL exploits this drive, and then later, when the player is used up, casts them into the trash bin.

[Brad]

If teams cared would they play on artificial grass. There is your answer right there. In most industries, there is something called worker's comp and employee safety. Why should different rules apply here?

[paul secor]

If the players don't care about their safety (and it's obvious that they don't, as long as they're paid enough), why should the NFL care? It's all about $$$$$$$$.

That's an extremely callous, and I must add, ignorant comment. Most people who dedicate their lives to a dream, like eventually playing in the NFL rarely do it for money, particularly when they start as little kids. The NFL exploits this drive, and then later, when the player is used up, casts them into the trash bin.

If you feel that my comment is callous and ignorant, so be it. It's what I believe. If that makes me callous and ignorant to you, again - so be it.

[Tom 1960]

The fans (or at least many of them) WANT the players to beat the living hell out of each other, that's one of the primary draws of the sport in the first place. You constantly hear players and commentators bemoaning all the rules that have "softened" the game too much, especially around how daintily the QB's are treated and how all the rules are geared in their favor.

Man, you sure hit the nail on the head on that one. Especially after hearing someone recently basically stating the same. Until that mentality changes, I sadly doubt much will be done.

[GA Russell]

Looking at the news capsules, it seems like there were a lot of quarterback head injuries today.

[alocispepraluger102]

Looking at the news capsules, it seems like there were a lot of quarterback head injuries today.

thx

i missed that news. how man qbs starting today don't belong in the league?

[GA Russell]

aloc, these are the news clippings I referred to:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/jets-cruise-past-chiefs/article2267347/singlepage/#articlecontent

I just quickly skimmed through it, and didn't count how many injuries were head injuries. But it seemed like a number.

[JSngry]

do nfl teams have enough regard for player safety?

Let's put the question this way - how many physical production-based businesses period have safety regulations in place that go above-and-beyond those which they absolutely are forced to have?

[Guy Berger]

It's interesting that the sports community gets so worked up about steroid use in baseball, but is mostly indifferent to head injuries in football.

Guy

[Dan Gould]

Head injuries in the NFL don't have an impact on the record book.

Maybe that's a flip comment, but baseball fans who get worked up about steroids aren't worked up about the potential long-term medical impacts of steroid use/abuse. They are concerned about how it effects the way that statistics used to be used to compare different players in different eras.

[Guy Berger]

Head injuries in the NFL don't have an impact on the record book.

Maybe that's a flip comment, but baseball fans who get worked up about steroids aren't worked up about the potential long-term medical impacts of steroid use/abuse. They are concerned about how it effects the way that statistics used to be used to compare different players in different eras.

And that's very disturbing.

[.:.impossible]

Hm. I am not disagreeing with Dan, but the way I looked at steroids in baseball is the same way I would look at steroids in football. Neither have anything to do with statistics.