Antwaan Randle-el regrets ever playing football

[CommissarSpartacus]

Could we be seeing the beginning of the end of professional football?

How many ex-players turned basket cases do we have to see before someone demands something be done?

Or is there jusr too much money involved?

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/super-bowl-star-antwaan-randle-el-regrets-ever-playing-football?cid=sm_tw_msnbc

Super Bowl star Antwaan Randle El regrets ever playing football
01/20/16 11:23 AM—Updated 01/20/16 11:23 AM

By Adam Howard

Antwaan Randle El had a storied NFL career, which included a Super Bowl win 10 years ago with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but, in a recent interview, he says he wished none of it ever happened.

In a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette interview commemorating past Steeler championship teams, Randle El raises what have now become familiar concerns about the physical toll the game of football can take. He retired early at the age of 32 in 2012, in part because “The kids are getting bigger and faster, so the concussions, the severe spinal cord injuries, are only going to get worse.”

He added: “There’s no correcting it. There’s no helmet that’s going to correct it. There’s no teaching that’s going to correct it. It just comes down to it’s a physically violent game. Football players are in a car wreck every week.”

Randle El’s remarks come amid increased attention to the risks of severe, lasting injury in football. The big screen Will Smith film “Concussion,” which dramatizes the discovery of the neurological disorder CTE in deceased NFL players, has helped reignite interest in the issue, and even 2016 presidential candidates have weighed in. Republican front-runner Donald Trump complained recently at a campaign rally that “football has become soft like our country has become soft.” But Randle El would likely beg to differ.

The 36-year-old describes struggling to climb stairs and significant memory loss. “I ask my wife things over and over again, and she’s like, ‘I just told you that,’” Randle El told the Post-Gazette. “I’ll ask her three times the night before and get up in the morning and forget. Stuff like that.”

...more...

[Dr. Lecter]

I don't know where the game will be in 20 or 30 years. Not only will there be increased pressure to do something to the pro game, there is the looming issue of fewer kids playing the game which will impact the quality of the game once these kids are adults. That might be the bigger long term issue for the game. Fewer JJ Watts, Cam Newton, Tom Brady, etc.

[Historian]

The evening news last night showed a design of a new helmet, that gives on the outside, then protects with a hard shell on the inside.

Ill try to find a link.

[Homegrown]

“I ask my wife things over and over again, and she’s like, ‘I just told you that,’” Randle El told the Post-Gazette. “I’ll ask her three times the night before and get up in the morning and forget. Stuff like that.”

...more...

I'm the same .... "wifey, I could really use a blow job" , she's like "I just told you no" ....I feel your pain Mr El

[daryls61]

I'll bet he does not regret earning the money.

[OpIv37]

Pro football better not end in 20 years because I don't see any way the Bills pull their **** together and win a SB in that time frame.

[Joe Fo Sho]

There will always be people willing to risk their health for a chance to make 10's of millions of dollars. If it were me, and my options were between playing in the NFL or some job making $18 an hour, I would play in the NFL 10 times out of 10.

I did watch the movie Concussion, so I feel like I'm an expert on this subject already.

[OpIv37]

That's a good point- would be rather be a lower middle income guy barely getting by, or be set financially but have the health problems?

[gebobs]

It's going to be an issue for a lot of sports. Boxing, hockey, and rugby come to mind. Heck, the entire intent of boxing is to inflict concussions.

And concussions are not the whole story. Even the slight jarring hits that these guys take are going to result in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) of varying degree. We've all gotten hits at some point or another. Our skulls are pretty good at protecting the brain. But over a period of 20 or 30 years, the duration of a pro athlete's career from first introduction to the sport to retirement, the skull isn't enough. Helmets help and improvements are nice, but this will never go away.

I read an article a few weeks ago that actually blamed helmets, saying that they enable players to use their heads as weapons. That's undoubtedly true, but they also protect the head to a certain degree and I'd be willing to bet that their benefits outweigh their costs. In discussing the article, someone wondered why then don't ruggers need helmets, why aren't they getting concussions, shouldn't football just do without them and learn to tackle like in rugby.

First of all, they are two different sports as we all know. Rugby is more lateral. Football is more vertical. This makes collisions far more violent.

Secondly, the premise that ruggers are less susceptible to traumatic brain injury due to chronic contact is completely false. One study in New Zealand found that ruggers sustain, on average, 70-75 hits to the head every game. Most of them are little dingers, the kind one wouldn't worry about. But that many over a game and over a season and over a career is not good.

And as the awareness of the issue has come to fore in other sports, mainly football, rugby leagues are beginning to realize that many of their retired players are suffering from CTE.

To their credit, football and hockey are taking actions to prevent the worst hits and to immediately take action when they occur. Rugby is just starting to think about it.

Rugby uncovered: Game still has head in sand over the risks of brain damage (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/11857548/Rugby-uncovered-Game-still-has-head-in-sand-over-the-risks-of-brain-damage.html)

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03436/browngetty_3436137b.jpg

[Joe Fo Sho]

That's a good point- would be rather be a lower middle income guy barely getting by, or be set financially but have the health problems?

Add the fact that some of these guys already have kids and a wife and the decision gets even more difficult. Would you rather give your kids/family everything they've ever wanted, or be around long enough for them make you a grandfather.

The decision is easier for guys that don't see a future for themselves and maybe they only have to choose between the NFL and poverty.

There is nothing stopping them from playing 2 or 3 years and saving enough to get a top education and earn a living that way. However, it's probably pretty difficult to give up an annual salary of $1 million or more and go back to school.

[Dr. Lecter]

Add the fact that some of these guys already have kids and a wife and the decision gets even more difficult. Would you rather give your kids/family everything they've ever wanted, or be around long enough for them make you a grandfather.

The decision is easier for guys that don't see a future for themselves and maybe they only have to choose between the NFL and poverty.

There is nothing stopping them from playing 2 or 3 years and saving enough to get a top education and earn a living that way. However, it's probably pretty difficult to give up an annual salary of $1 million or more and go back to school.

That's only taking into account players in the NFL. What it doesn't take into account are the ones in Pop Warner, High school and college where a vary small percentage of players make it into the NFL. Is it worth it to be a second string LB on UB who plays ST? Or even a high level DII player? Those players are not going to make it in the NFL, but can still have damage from their playing careers.

[Forward_Lateral]

The problem is some players have no respect for the safety of other players. Look at the morons launching themselves helmet first into other players. Is football a rough sport? Hell yes it is, it always has been, but there's a fine line between rough and reckless. When guys are getting bigger, stronger and faster, and becoming reckless, that's when things go bad.

What's the solution? I don't know if there is one. Take away the helmets and pads? I don't think that's the answer. Make tackling above a certain area of a player's body illegal? Slippery slope too.

The bottom line is, something has to be done, or there will be no long term NFL.

[Victor7]

The NFL pretty much has a license to print money. No way in hell it ever goes away. The owners would never let it happen. I'm talking about doing the nastiest of things to prevent it.

As for the players they will always risk their bodies for that big time paycheck. That's just the reality of things. For every sad story like this one from Randle El there's one of guys who played, made their coin and lived happily ever after without that much repercussion.

[Historian]

Make tackling above a certain area of a player's body illegal?

I was taught to aim for the waist, and wrap up the legs.

Players today are trying to take guys down with the big collision.

Of course they're going to get gurt

[OpIv37]

The problem is some players have no respect for the safety of other players. Look at the morons launching themselves helmet first into other players. Is football a rough sport? Hell yes it is, it always has been, but there's a fine line between rough and reckless. When guys are getting bigger, stronger and faster, and becoming reckless, that's when things go bad.

What's the solution? I don't know if there is one. Take away the helmets and pads? I don't think that's the answer. Make tackling above a certain area of a player's body illegal? Slippery slope too.

The bottom line is, something has to be done, or there will be no long term NFL.
I hate that idea because I don't trust the refs to enforce it fairly. Our guys will nearly get decapitated and they won't throw a flag, meanwhile they'll flag anyone who touches Brady above the numbers.

[Joe Fo Sho]

The biggest thing for me is that the guys entering the NFL need to know and fully understand all of the risks involved before deciding to enter the league. If guys understand the risks involved, and still want to do it, then that's fine. As long as the NFL is actually doing everything in their power to limit risk while still maximizing entertainment. After all, if they make the game boring and safe, no one is going to watch and players won't be getting the money that they're getting now.

If players sign a waiver, there should be no issue. People are injured all the time on the job, it's hazard pay.

[gebobs]

That's only taking into account players in the NFL. What it doesn't take into account are the ones in Pop Warner, High school and college where a vary small percentage of players make it into the NFL. Is it worth it to be a second string LB on UB who plays ST? Or even a high level DII player? Those players are not going to make it in the NFL, but can still have damage from their playing careers.

Spot on. The big head hits are the headline grabbers on this issue. The scary reality is that even the little hits to the head leave their toll.

[gebobs]

The biggest thing for me is that the guys entering the NFL need to know and fully understand all of the risks involved before deciding to enter the league. If guys understand the risks involved, and still want to do it, then that's fine.
I don't think any person is capable of making that judgment. Certainly not a young man in the top 1% of physical ability and fitness. I bet 99% of them, given the information, think it couldn't happen to them.

Even you, a smart guy by all appearances, would risk early onset senility for a bucket of money. I'm probably no different.

[OpIv37]

That's only taking into account players in the NFL. What it doesn't take into account are the ones in Pop Warner, High school and college where a vary small percentage of players make it into the NFL. Is it worth it to be a second string LB on UB who plays ST? Or even a high level DII player? Those players are not going to make it in the NFL, but can still have damage from their playing careers.

This is what gebobs is saying and this is how the quality of the game will go downhill. There are already former pro and high-level college players who have publicly stated that they don't want their own kids to play because of the risks. Let's face it: most players won't make it to the NFL. Most won't even play in college, at least not at a DI school. How many people love the game enough to take the risk knowing that it's highly unlikely that it will ever help pay the bills or help pay for college? There are already kids and athletes looking for less risky sports, and it's only going to get worse as the NFL is forced to reveal the true extent of the risk.

[Victor7]

This is what gebobs is saying and this is how the quality of the game will go downhill. There are already former pro and high-level college players who have publicly stated that they don't want their own kids to play because of the risks. Let's face it: most players won't make it to the NFL. Most won't even play in college, at least not at a DI school. How many people love the game enough to take the risk knowing that it's highly unlikely that it will ever help pay the bills or help pay for college? There are already kids and athletes looking for less risky sports, and it's only going to get worse as the NFL is forced to reveal the true extent of the risk.

There's another way to look at this .... With more and more people saying no to football maybe the ones that knew from the start they had no shot will now think they do.

See what I mean ? The non 1%nters will think .... hey ! there's more and more people better than me saying no to the sport. My odds just got better !

[stuckincincy]

This is what gebobs is saying and this is how the quality of the game will go downhill. There are already former pro and high-level college players who have publicly stated that they don't want their own kids to play because of the risks. Let's face it: most players won't make it to the NFL. Most won't even play in college, at least not at a DI school. How many people love the game enough to take the risk knowing that it's highly unlikely that it will ever help pay the bills or help pay for college? There are already kids and athletes looking for less risky sports, and it's only going to get worse as the NFL is forced to reveal the true extent of the risk.

This is an old topic. Lem Barney made comment about the future in 2013:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2013/06/14/lem-barney-football-will-be-gone-in-20-years/2424499/

Then (I assume) he got slapped around about it and rephrased 2 days later:

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2013/6/17/4437566/lem-barney-apology-nfl-unsafe-future

Lesson to be learned: Let the Gang of 32 pay the full cost of their profit palaces. Deny the economic extortion and let'em go dupe others.

[Joe Fo Sho]

I don't think any person is capable of making that judgment. Certainly not a young man in the top 1% of physical ability and fitness. I bet 99% of them, given the information, think it couldn't happen to them.

Even you, a smart guy by all appearances, would risk early onset senility for a bucket of money. I'm probably no different.

Reading my post again, I guess it was more about absolving the NFL of any liability than convincing a player to make the right decision.

There really is no 'right decision.' No one can see into their future. Who knows if Randel-El is better off today, even with his injuries, than he would be if he went a different route that didn't include the NFL. Clearly he says he regrets it, but maybe he would be saying the same thing if he became an accountant. Probably not, but it's hard sayin' not knowin'.

[Buffalogic]

Antwaan Randle El says “regret football” comment was overblown (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/01/21/antwaan-randle-el-says-regret-football-comment-was-overblown/)He says he was only pondering if he should have played MLB since he was a multi-sport prospect. He says he's not in pain and his memory is fine.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

I'm sure Randle-El has conflicted feelings, like most of us would over such a meaningful part of their lives. It made him a millionaire and a celebrity, but it also unquestionably took years off his life and damaged his body.

[BertSquirtgum]

Antwaan Randle El says “regret football” comment was overblown (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/01/21/antwaan-randle-el-says-regret-football-comment-was-overblown/)

He says he was only pondering if he should have played MLB since he was a multi-sport prospect. He says he's not in pain and his memory is fine.

So the MIB of the NFL paid him a visit and told him to shut the **** up?

[Mace]

Could we be seeing the beginning of the end of professional football?

How many ex-players turned basket cases do we have to see before someone demands something be done?

Or is there jusr too much money involved?

Just the opposite. People can't get enough bloodsports. Look at the rise of MMA fighting, the increasing gore available in media, games, people are getting numb to it and expect it. Some reasonable people will be bothered by it, but oddly it seems to me that the more safety conscious peoples lives become, the more they want to see others damaged or damage themselves.

I admit it bothers me. All the years I enjoyed football, I never had a clue what toll it was taking on players. Watching a game, I still forget most often until something jolts me back to it. I used to love boxing and stopped watching it years ago after seeing one too many hideous mismatch beating.

I can't really agree with the "look how much money they made" line of thought. So what if you lose major quality of life, you have plenty of money you can't enjoy, or won't because it goes toward your healthcare.

But I think the sport is here to stay, because the damage will never bother enough people for it not to.

[YardRat]

As long as the human brain sloshes around in the skull and collisions are part of the game, there's nothing anybody can do to prevent possible damage, I don't care how good you think your helmet design is. It's just a futile exercise to try to fix a crash issue by putting air bags on the outside of the car.

[Mace]

As long as the human brain sloshes around in the skull and collisions are part of the game, there's nothing anybody can do to prevent possible damage, I don't care how good you think your helmet design is. It's just a futile exercise to try to fix a crash issue by putting air bags on the outside of the car.

Unless you're consumed with your luxurious locks, in which case you need protect them.

17651

[BillsImpossible]

I'm sure Randle-El has conflicted feelings, like most of us would over such a meaningful part of their lives. It made him a millionaire and a celebrity, but it also unquestionably took years off his life and damaged his body.

I know a police officer that had to retire at the ripe old age of 39 because of a back injury he suffered on duty.

Every profession takes its physical, and mental tolls.

If the problem is real, I'm surprised that there are not more former players coming out of the woodwork and saying so publicly.

There are a lot of former NFL players that have to deal with lingering ailments from their careers, but so does everyone else that works for a living.

Compare the mental harm caused by an officer or soldier getting shot 3 times to a football player that got his bell rung. There's no comparison.

Two NFL Hall of Fame inductees recently passed away.

Doug Atkins was 85 years old. Frank Gifford was 84 years old.

I don't think the game of football should be held responsible for their deaths.

[Mace]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NFL_players_with_chronic_traumatic_encephalopathy#Former_players_with_CTE_confirmed_post-mortem

[BillsImpossible]

As long as the human brain sloshes around in the skull and collisions are part of the game, there's nothing anybody can do to prevent possible damage, I don't care how good you think your helmet design is. It's just a futile exercise to try to fix a crash issue by putting air bags on the outside of the car.

That's actually a good idea!

A friend of mine recently got T-boned in a car accident and walked away without a scratch because of the side impact airbags that literally swallowed her in a bubble of air.

What if the NFL designed a helmet with airbags?

Seriously.

If the airbag deploys, automatic penalty.

Microchips can sensor oncoming collisions. Every player in the NFL already has a microchip in their shoulder pads, so why not have a microchip implanted in the helmets that can detect oncoming collisions and deploy an airbag?

Technology is so advanced now that a microscopic nano-chip can sense the speed at which an oncoming car/collision is approaching.

Watching a player have an airbag deploy out of their helmet would be quite interesting to see.

"Airbag Helmet"

[Mace]

That's actually a good idea!

A friend of mine recently got T-boned in a car accident and walked away without a scratch because of the side impact airbags that literally swallowed her in a bubble of air.

What if the NFL designed a helmet with airbags?

Seriously.

If the airbag deploys, automatic penalty.

Microchips can sensor oncoming collisions. Every player in the NFL already has a microchip in their shoulder pads, so why not have a microchip implanted in the helmets that can detect oncoming collisions and deploy an airbag?

Technology is so advanced now that a microscopic nano-chip can sense the speed at which an oncoming car/collision is approaching.

Watching a player have an airbag deploy out of their helmet would be quite interesting to see.

"Airbag Helmet"

Would probably make the games longer while they reinflate. Athletes have gotten bigger and faster, collisions more violent. In the past the guys were smaller, wore less protective equipment, now, you have to wonder if they can ever have enough. Most of my life I met 300 pounders huge and sloppy, now they're chiseled and fast. That's a lot of collision force per play really if you have 600 lbs of athlete slamming into one another. Run into 300 lbs tipping over on you from an inanimate object, it's not even moving with purpose meaning to hit you, and figure what padding would have helped it.

[BillsImpossible]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NFL_players_with_chronic_traumatic_encephalopathy#Former_players_with_CTE_confirmed_post-mortem

The first 3 sections about players with CTE is surprisingly small.

Frank Gifford and Cookie Gilchrist were listed in the first section.

Gifford was 84 and Cookie was 75.

I don't think CTE had anything to do with them passing away.

The list of plaintiffs is not surprising. It's like a class-action lawsuit. Costs them nothing.

Sign your name here, and you might get some money out of it.

[Mace]

The first 3 sections about players with CTE is surprisingly small.

Frank Gifford and Cookie Gilchrist were listed in the first section.

Gifford was 84 and Cookie was 75.

I don't think CTE had anything to do with them passing away.

The list of plaintiffs is not surprising. It's like a class-action lawsuit. Costs them nothing.

Sign your name here, and you might get some money out of it.

Brain injury doesn't mean you die fast, you can die plenty slow with mush in your skull and the body of an athlete.

[BillsImpossible]

Brain injury doesn't mean you die fast, you can die plenty slow with mush in your skull and the body of an athlete.

John Wayne didn't have mush in his skull during the later years of his life.

I'm sure he got his bell rung more than a few times as a high school football player in Iowa and playing for USC.

[Mace]

John Wayne didn't have mush in his skull during the later years of his life.

I'm sure he got his bell rung more than a few times as a high school football player in Iowa and playing for USC.

Ever moved a fridge down some stairs on the bottom side ? They weigh less than a pro lineman. When they start slipping off the dolly, do you back up a few stairs to lower your shoulder and hit it as it comes down ? Would pro football pads help when it has some momentum ? This is your average play, except you have a few steps to hit the fridge first and deflect it. Stoves, washing machines ? Sure, lower your head and pile them off into inconsequential with some heavy clothes and a hardhat.

Nah.

If you ever got your bell rung, it's not a pleasant thing. If you've ever done something stupidly reckless for an employer, you know you wondered about it, because they didn't.

John Wayne just isn't a good example of hitting 300 lbs repeatedly, old son.

[CommissarSpartacus]

I get the impression some of you aren't clear about what a concussion is.

Our brains float inside our skulls with a thin layer of fluid between them for cushioning.

When the head is either accelerated or decelerated forcefully enough, the brain, despite the cushioning, bangs against the interior of your skull.

Do it hard enough or often enough and you have major problems.

[sukie]

That's actually a good idea!

A friend of mine recently got T-boned in a car accident and walked away without a scratch because of the side impact airbags that literally swallowed her in a bubble of air.

What if the NFL designed a helmet with airbags?

Seriously.

If the airbag deploys, automatic penalty.

Microchips can sensor oncoming collisions. Every player in the NFL already has a microchip in their shoulder pads, so why not have a microchip implanted in the helmets that can detect oncoming collisions and deploy an airbag?

Technology is so advanced now that a microscopic nano-chip can sense the speed at which an oncoming car/collision is approaching.

Watching a player have an airbag deploy out of their helmet would be quite interesting to see.

"Airbag Helmet"
Physics. In your airbag example the helmet would have to trigger airbags on contact INSIDE THE SKULL BETWEEN BRAIN AND SKULL. So brain in skull is traveling at speed "x" it suddenly stops and its entire mass sloshes forward in the skull. No outer equipment will stop that. You might get less outer injury like compression of the spine or other skeletal trauma but brain slosh will not be changed at all.

[YardRat]

That's actually a good idea!

A friend of mine recently got T-boned in a car accident and walked away without a scratch because of the side impact airbags that literally swallowed her in a bubble of air.

What if the NFL designed a helmet with airbags?

Seriously.

If the airbag deploys, automatic penalty.

Microchips can sensor oncoming collisions. Every player in the NFL already has a microchip in their shoulder pads, so why not have a microchip implanted in the helmets that can detect oncoming collisions and deploy an airbag?

Technology is so advanced now that a microscopic nano-chip can sense the speed at which an oncoming car/collision is approaching.

Watching a player have an airbag deploy out of their helmet would be quite interesting to see.

"Airbag Helmet"


Because the Patriots would figure out a way to rig their helmets so the air bags deployed when some no-name assistant on the sidelines with a remote control pushes a button.

[Dr. Lecter]

I have no idea what point Impossible is trying to make, except that he doesn't understand the point of the discussion

1. Nobody said that it impacts everybody
2. Nobody compared it to the military or police or any other profession.
3. I have no idea what the John Wayne thing was all about
4.Just because it doesn't kill somebody does not mean that it doesn't have a negative impact on somebody's life

[Historian]

3. I have no idea what the John Wayne thing was all about


He fell off his horse in True Grit you idiot!!!

:roflmao:

[Mace]

I get the impression some of you aren't clear about what a concussion is.

Our brains float inside our skulls with a thin layer of fluid between them for cushioning.

When the head is either accelerated or decelerated forcefully enough, the brain, despite the cushioning, bangs against the interior of your skull.

Do it hard enough or often enough and you have major problems.

After reading what Karlos Williams went through, I'd have hung up the cleats if it happened to me. I don't even see it being a measure of "tough" to risk it again, more like foolish.

[BillsImpossible]

The same people that are trying to bring down the NFL are the same kind of people that thought it would be a good idea to remove cars from Main St. in Buffalo.

The game of football is being demonized by the Nanny State Storm Troopers that have an infatuation with being like Europe.

Due to the hype, media attention and movie, parents are now encouraging their kids to play a different sport, like soccer.

Who cares what parents are encouraging their 10 year old kids to do?

The NFL cares because a decade from now those 10 year old kids will be 20 in college.

That's their future product at stake.

Instead of playing football, many of those kids will be playing baseball, basketball, soccer, or lacrosse.

I think the whole issue is being way overblown because some people in high places have an agenda.

"They," don't like the NFL. It's too dangerous. Too wild. Too unpredictable. Too popular. Too fun.

Too American.

https://news.usc.edu/15621/john-wayne-an-american-icon/

https://news.usc.edu/files/2008/08/jwfootball.jpg

[Mace]

You just aren't having your best offseason, BillsImp.

[pmoon6]

The whole reason football became popular in the first place.

A bunch of guys getting the **** beat out of them on Sunday provided entertainment for a bunch of guys getting the **** beat out of them during the week.

[pmoon6]

You just aren't having your best offseason, BillsImp.Yeah, he should have traded to get Opie on his team.

Probably thought picking up his contract wasn't worth it.

[Mr. Pink]

These guys are signing up for multi million dollar contracts to get their bell rung...I have no sympathy for them. They know the risks, they do it anyway and are compensated more than fairly for said risk.

Does it suck for a 10 year old kid to keep getting hit repeatedly in the head or banging his head on the ground from a hit? Yeah. But there's a difference in the force another 10 year old child will be able to put on another anyway.

I don't have much sympathy for the college kids either as many are in college simply because they can play ball...they get a free college education and whatever kickbacks that occur because of it, regardless if the NCAA doesn't agree with them.

Life itself has inherent risks and one must weigh risk vs reward in many activities you will do, obviously head injuries are a bad thing, especially if you're encountering them over and over and over again so I'm not downplaying the severity of the injuries some of these men encounter over their lives but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that the human body cannot take the impact of basically a minor to major automobile accident over and over without risk or consequence.

That being said, because of the way these men are compensated, the NFL will never go anywhere. And through time I'm sure even more safety measures will be taken to lessen the impact on head injuries. I.e. you might see the entire league wearing Kelso bubble helmets at some point.

[Mike]

There will always be people willing to risk their health for a chance to make 10's of millions of dollars. If it were me, and my options were between playing in the NFL or some job making $18 an hour, I would play in the NFL 10 times out of 10.

I did watch the movie Concussion, so I feel like I'm an expert on this subject already.

Would you do it for the average NFL career?

The average NFL player is out of NFL after 3yrs & broke 3yrs later

[Mike]

These guys are signing up for multi million dollar contracts to get their bell rung...I have no sympathy for them. They know the risks, they do it anyway and are compensated more than fairly for said risk.

Does it suck for a 10 year old kid to keep getting hit repeatedly in the head or banging his head on the ground from a hit? Yeah. But there's a difference in the force another 10 year old child will be able to put on another anyway.

I don't have much sympathy for the college kids either as many are in college simply because they can play ball...they get a free college education and whatever kickbacks that occur because of it, regardless if the NCAA doesn't agree with them.

Life itself has inherent risks and one must weigh risk vs reward in many activities you will do, obviously head injuries are a bad thing, especially if you're encountering them over and over and over again so I'm not downplaying the severity of the injuries some of these men encounter over their lives but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that the human body cannot take the impact of basically a minor to major automobile accident over and over without risk or consequence.

That being said, because of the way these men are compensated, the NFL will never go anywhere. And through time I'm sure even more safety measures will be taken to lessen the impact on head injuries. I.e. you might see the entire league wearing Kelso bubble helmets at some point.

Not True

Most Football Players Never make the NFL

And out of the ones that do, the average player doesn't last past 3yrs & 78% of ALL NFL
players are broke 3year after they're out of the league.

The players than make Millions are the Exception Not the Rule

[HHURRICANE]

I ask my wife things over and over again, and she’s like, ‘I just told you that,’” Randle El told the Post-Gazette. “I’ll ask her three times the night before and get up in the morning and forget. Stuff like that.”

LOL does he regret football or being married? You don't have to play football to get your wife to accuse you of forgetting stuff and than you not wanting to remember in the AM.

[Generalissimus Gibby]

The evening news last night showed a design of a new helmet, that gives on the outside, then protects with a hard shell on the inside.

Ill try to find a link.

Didn't Mark Kelso have something like that?

[Historian]

Didn't Mark Kelso have something like that?

Yes, same concept in a normal looking helmet though...

http://www.buffalobillsalumni.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/kelso.jpg

[Joe Fo Sho]

Would you do it for the average NFL career?

The average NFL player is out of NFL after 3yrs & broke 3yrs later

Well that's a completely different question. Nobody in their right mind would choose a path where they knew they would be broke in 3 years with possible health concerns.

The whole point is that it's a gamble, and the average person thinks they're smarter than the average person. What does the average player make in 3 years, $1 million? $1.5 million? Does the average NFL player have permanent injuries? I would say that the less you play, the less likely you are to have these injuries.

Would I do it knowing that the average NFL player made over a million dollars and was out of the NFL in 3 years? Yes I would, because just like the average person, I think I can manage my money better than the average person.

[gebobs]

Former Player, Died At 27, Had CTE (http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2016/01/27/3743196/tyler-sash-chronic-brain-disease/)

Tyler Sash, a former New York Giants safety who died last September from an accidental overdose of pain medications at the age of 27, has been posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive degenerative brain disease believed to be caused by repetitive brain trauma.

The New York Times reported that Dr. Ann McKee, chief of neuropathology at the V.A. Boston Healthcare System and a professor of neurology and pathology at the Boston University School of Medicine, found that Sash’s CTE levels were comparable to those of the late Junior Seau. Seau, who was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame last year, committed suicide at the age of 43.

But while Seau played in the NFL for 19 seasons, Sash only played in 23 games for the league. McKee said that she had only seen one other case of CTE this advanced in someone so young.

“Even though he was only 27, he played 16 years of football, and we’re finding over and over that it’s the duration of exposure to football that gives you a high risk for CTE. Certainly, 16 years is a high exposure,” McKee said.

Since CTE is a progressive disease, it can impact football players at all levels of the sport. Last fall, research conducted by the Department of Veteran Affairs and Boston University found evidence of CTE in 87 of 91 deceased former NFL players.

But another recent study out of the Mayo Clinic found that even amateur athletes were susceptible to CTE after finding the disease in the brains of 21 of 66 males who had played contact sports when they were young.

[stuckincincy]

I'll bet he does not regret earning the money.

The desire for the bling and the posse can have a cost...

[DetDannyWilliams]

Total NFL concussions diagnosed reached 271 in 2015The 2015 NFL season saw the number of diagnosed concussions reach an a four-year high of 271.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/total-nfl-concussions-diagnosed-reached-271-in-2015/ar-BBoSfUa

[gebobs]

I saw somewhere that some are speculating that OJ has CTE. In my opinion, that's probably a certainty. Odd are good that anyone who plays football that long, about 20 years, other than kickers and punters, is going to have CTE to some degree.

[Joe Fo Sho]

I saw somewhere that some are speculating that OJ has CTE. In my opinion, that's probably a certainty. Odd are good that anyone who plays football that long, about 20 years, other than kickers and punters, is going to have CTE to some degree.

The important part in that speculation is that it's by the doctor who discovered CTE, he actually was willing to bet his medical license on the fact that OJ has CTE.

Ryan Clark made a pretty good point about how dangerous it is to speculate this, he said it was irresponsible. He's worried that people are going to assume an ex-NFL player has CTE and wouldn't want to hire them for a job knowing that there's a possibility that they could go off the handle like OJ has.

Even if OJ is found to have CTE when he passes, there is no way to prove any correlation between OJ's issues and CTE. If you could find a way to definitively relate the two, the NFL would have an even bigger problem than they have today.

[gebobs]

Even if OJ is found to have CTE when he passes, there is no way to prove any correlation between OJ's issues and CTE. If you could find a way to definitively relate the two, the NFL would have an even bigger problem than they have today.
Given that OJ's legal troubles preceded his even going to USC, I doubt CTE is the root cause. Perhaps it made things worse, who knows? He's surely a narcissist and probably borderline sociopath at least, but then so are many professional athletes. A lot of them probably have CTE. And yet they still don't chop people's heads off.

By her own account, there was no abuse when OJ was married to Marguerite. Nicole wasn't that lucky. A lot of things changed for OJ between marriages and not just the chronic head trauma. For one thing, the throngs of adulating fans were largely gone which spells trouble for your run-of-the-mill narcissist and the people that have to sustain those massive egos.