I don't know about you guys, but in my 50 years watching the NFL, I can't count the number of times I've screamed at the coaching staffs and management because of some monumentally stupid move and wondered out loud if the person or persons I've been yelling at was brain damaged.
But, I always considered it metaphoric.
But with all the mounting evidence about the extent of concussions suffered in the league, and realizing that a large percentage of the coaching and scouting staffs of NFL teams are made up of ex players, I've started to really wonder to what extent actual brain damage has an effect on the league and the games.
Take Marrone for example. He was a lineman, was he not?
Bet he had his bell rung plenty.
But of course, he's not the only guy.
Repetitive head injuries **** you up sooner or later, but most of the time it takes years to develop so it's hard to spot until it's too late.
Well, at least I know that from now on, when I yell at the screen "what the **** were they thinking", I'll have to consider that maybe they were trying to think but just...couldn't....figure...it...out.
NFL wives: We 'pick up the pieces' after brain injuries to football player husbands
By Stephanie Gosk and Monica Alba
NBC News
The wife of an ex-football player who is suing the NFL for allegedly concealing the danger of concussions said that during games, even way up in the stands, she could hear the sound of helmet-clad heads slamming into each other.
“You would hear the clapping of the helmets,” said Garland Radloff, whose husband Wayne played five seasons at center for the Atlanta Falcons. “But then you’d hear cheering. … You know, you didn’t think about any head injury.” She says she wasn’t thinking about long-term effects even after the time her husband was knocked out cold for five minutes.
More than 20 years later, Wayne Radloff, at age 52, has been diagnosed with a form of early onset dementia brought on by repeated concussions. He is unable to work and the bank has started foreclosure proceedings on his South Carolina home. And Garland Radloff has become one of the football wives who are left to carry the ball -- to earn a living, take care of the kids, and fight for what they believe the NFL owes their families.
...more...
But, I always considered it metaphoric.
But with all the mounting evidence about the extent of concussions suffered in the league, and realizing that a large percentage of the coaching and scouting staffs of NFL teams are made up of ex players, I've started to really wonder to what extent actual brain damage has an effect on the league and the games.
Take Marrone for example. He was a lineman, was he not?
Bet he had his bell rung plenty.
But of course, he's not the only guy.
Repetitive head injuries **** you up sooner or later, but most of the time it takes years to develop so it's hard to spot until it's too late.
Well, at least I know that from now on, when I yell at the screen "what the **** were they thinking", I'll have to consider that maybe they were trying to think but just...couldn't....figure...it...out.
NFL wives: We 'pick up the pieces' after brain injuries to football player husbands
By Stephanie Gosk and Monica Alba
NBC News
The wife of an ex-football player who is suing the NFL for allegedly concealing the danger of concussions said that during games, even way up in the stands, she could hear the sound of helmet-clad heads slamming into each other.
“You would hear the clapping of the helmets,” said Garland Radloff, whose husband Wayne played five seasons at center for the Atlanta Falcons. “But then you’d hear cheering. … You know, you didn’t think about any head injury.” She says she wasn’t thinking about long-term effects even after the time her husband was knocked out cold for five minutes.
More than 20 years later, Wayne Radloff, at age 52, has been diagnosed with a form of early onset dementia brought on by repeated concussions. He is unable to work and the bank has started foreclosure proceedings on his South Carolina home. And Garland Radloff has become one of the football wives who are left to carry the ball -- to earn a living, take care of the kids, and fight for what they believe the NFL owes their families.
...more...
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