Storyline: I heard the term, “He got his bell rung,” many times. Unless you had a really bad concussion (you couldn’t tell how many fingers the trainer was holding up) you kept playing. That buzzing noise and ache in your head would subside. You never thought more about it.
I recently watched the movie “Concussion.” There is no happy ending to this movie. It’s very sad to see how many former players are suffering from CTE. While I can certainly sympathize with what they are going through, I don’t think we can point all of the blame at the NFL hierarchy.
Courtesy: goalnation.com
The NFL is a money-making machine–of that there is no doubt–and they should be doing all they can to help these players in need, But to say they had full knowledge of the long-term damage a concussion could cause is probably neither true nor fair.
There were so many things that we, as a society, did not know years ago–or, at the very least, we didn’t pay attention to. If you were born anytime before 1975 then you know what I’m talking about. Safety was not something we thought about much.
Few people wore seat belts. Few motorcyclists or bicyclists wore helmets. Not long ago most hockey players didn’t wear helmets and a lot of goalies didn’t wear masks. Kids played games like dodge ball and climbed on monkey bars. We made ramps to ride up and over with our bikes. We climbed up trees and jumped off rooftops. We did things that in today’s world would be considered unsafe and dangerous…and we thought nothing of it.
Football was no different. The head slap, spearing, the clothesline, the chop block, headhunting, cheap shots, and late hits were all commonplace in the NFL. No one knew or thought about the long-term effects or how they might suffer later in life.
Courtesy: stopcte.org
I can tell you from my own experiences–from playing youth and high school football in the 1970s–that no one ever worried about the possible long-term effects of concussions or injuries. I fully understand there’s a big difference between high school football and the NFL, but anyone who played football on any level during the 1970s or before knows exactly what I’m talking about.
I can’t tell you how many times I heard the term, “He got his bell rung.” That was the term used for a mild concussion. Unless you had a really bad concussion (you couldn’t tell how many fingers the team trainer was holding up) you just kept playing. That buzzing noise between your ears and the ache in your head would subside. And you never thought more about it.
Another example of not knowing–or lack of knowledge–was coaches telling you not to drink too much water because you’d get stomach cramps. They weren’t denying you water to be mean. They really believed it. And we believed them. Today we know the opposite is true. We know how dangerous dehydration can be and, thankfully, we know how dangerous concussions can be, too.
The NFL has made many rule changes, including equipment improvements, in the effort to decrease the number of injuries and concussions. But injuries and concussions still occur. There’s no quick fix or easy answer. But it’s my belief that part of the problem is the rampant use of anabolic steroids in the NFL.
Players starting using steroids in the 1970s. Usage increased in the 1980s and it has only gotten worse since. Now players are even using HGH (Human Growth Hormone). It’s a known fact that the use of anabolic steroids will make you bigger, faster, stronger, and more aggressive.
Bigger, faster, stronger, and more aggressive = more violent collisions.
More violent collisions = more concussions.
If the NFL is serious about protecting players from concussions, they need to get serious about stricter testing–and they need the cooperation of the players union to do this.
I don’t think you can blame the NFL for not knowing about the long-term effects of concussions. No one really knew years ago. But they know it now. And knowing what they know now, they should be doing all they can to help former players.
There are those who will say the players knew the risks they were taking. Did they really? There are those who say they were well compensated for playing. That’s true. It’s also true that some players blew their money on lifestyle choices and didn’t invest wisely by preparing for life after football. But the fact remains that they put their bodies on the line, week after week, year after year–not only for their respective teams, but for the league, too.
You would think that the NFL, a multi-billion dollar operation, would feel some obligation to assist these players, especially those suffering from CTE.
