Concussions in Sports -- From PFT, ESPN, etc (Merged)

**wickedsolo** · 05-07-2012, 07:34 AM

Originally Posted by GOTA

2 months ago I watched Ronda Roussey dislocate Misha Tate's elbow in what many described a historic MMA fight. And yes for those that don't know we're talking women.

Before the fight these two had been going back and forth on twitter for weeks. There was a real hatred and everyone knew that someone was getting hurt which made it even more compelling. Not too many times a womens fight ends up as the headliner.

That fight made big money and Roussey's next will bring even more. MMA isn't going anywhere and neither is the NFL. As long as they bring in big money and continue to try to make it safer they will have no problem in keeping it going.

I agree and at the end of the day, it can be a relatively safe sport if the necessary precautions and equipment are properly used.

For example, when I was in high school (97-01) I had been playing football since I was a little kid and hadn't ever suffered a concussion. One game when I was a junior I got my bell rung pretty good and definitely had a concussion, but the trainers and coaches just told us to suck it up and get back out there and it wasn't a big deal. We "just got our bell rung". I can honestly say that equipment and the medical attention given to high school and pop warner football players has gotten infinitely better. Even when I was a freshman and playing ball in college part of the post-season screening was the entire team had to visit a neurologist. This is something that is being taken very seriously.

The last thing I'd like to add is who knows how many of these older vets are hamming it up because they think they might be able to make some quick cash? I hate to be cynical like that, but it seems kind of suspicious to me that ALL of these players are coming out of the woodworks now to join in a law suit. It's not like people didn't understand that there was potential for some serious damage from knocking your head around with other guys back in the 70's and 80's. It's not like concussions and whatnot were invented over the last decade. They knew the risks.

**wickedsolo** · 05-07-2012, 07:38 AM

...And here is why I tend to be cynical with these things...

Jamaal Anderson, RB from the Atlanta Falcons joined the lawsuit last week...

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...lion-in-taxes/

According to TMZ, [Jamaal] Anderson owes the IRS more than $1.1 million in taxes from 2007 and 2008.

**festivus** · 05-07-2012, 07:44 AM

Originally Posted by GOTA

As long as they bring in big money and continue to try to make it safer they will have no problem in keeping it going.

I agree the NFL will keep "going" and will be fine as a commercial enterprise. Baseball and boxing are both successful commercial enterprises, though not as successful as they once were.

It just occurred to me, reading about that kid from Rutgers, that there could come a day when it's doing fine as a commercial enterprise without me.

**psuasskicker** · 05-07-2012, 07:59 AM

Here's a quickie I wrote about the subject last night.

- C -

**HoustonRaven** · 05-07-2012, 08:06 AM

Few things ....

They most certainly did NOT know the risks -- and that's for both the league and players. Yes, people knew that you could get concussions. What was not known until very recently was the impact of repeated concussions and playing with a concussion. That part of concussion science is still fluid and new. So for the players to sue the league over something nobody really understood until recently is pretty silly, IMO.

Second, the league is bending over backwards in the name of player safety and yet it's the players that are doing the most bitching. Florio has been writing about this for a few weeks now. The younger players don't seem all that interested in new procedures to limit the impact of repeated concussions. Very sad, and quite the hypocritical move on their part, given that player safety was a huge talking point by the NFLPA during the lock out.

If there is anything that could kill the golden goose, it's this very issue.

"All the pieces matter" -- Lester Freamon, The Wire.

**wickedsolo** · 05-07-2012, 08:14 AM

Originally Posted by HoustonRaven

Few things ....

They most certainly did NOT know the risks -- and that's for both the league and players. Yes, people knew that you could get concussions. What was not known until very recently was the impact of repeated concussions and playing with a concussion. That part of concussion science is still fluid and new. So for the players to sue the league over something nobody really understood until recently is pretty silly, IMO.

Second, the league is bending over backwards in the name of player safety and yet it's the players that are doing the most bitching. Florio has been writing about this for a few weeks now. The younger players don't seem all that interested in new procedures to limit the impact of repeated concussions. Very sad, and quite the hypocritical move on their part, given that player safety was a huge talking point by the NFLPA during the lock out.

If there is anything that could kill the golden goose, it's this very issue.

"All the pieces matter" -- Lester Freamon, The Wire.

I disagree to a certain extent.

You can certainly argue that no one realized how bad concussions can impact your long term health and like you said, a lot of these things are based on better technology and a better understanding.

However, football has always been a high risk, high impact sport with the potential for permanent injury. For guys like Jim McMahon or guys like that to come out NOW and say that they didn't know that they could be hurt permanently...I just don't buy it. The players of that time were just as disinterested in the long term impacts as the coaches & owners were.

**festivus** · 05-07-2012, 08:14 AM

What a surprise. HoustonRaven thinks the players are ruining football.

The information about the danger of repeated concussions was out there, and people were bringing it to the league's attention, long before these last two or three years when the league actually acknowledged it was a real issue.

Only an apologist would seriously try to lay some kind of blame, if there is any to be had, completely at the feet of the owners or the players.

**HoustonRaven** · 05-07-2012, 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by festivus

What a surprise. HoustonRaven thinks the players are ruining football.

The information about the danger of repeated concussions was out there, and people were bringing it to the league's attention, long before these last two or three years when the league actually acknowledged it was a real issue.

Only an apologist would seriously try to lay some kind of blame, if there is any to be had, completely at the feet of the owners or the players.

What a surprise that Festifus mischaracterized my thoughts.

I think it's rather clear that I'm not putting any blame or fault on anyone in terms if the concussion issue.

**HoustonRaven** · 05-07-2012, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by wickedsolo

However, football has always been a high risk, high impact sport with the potential for permanent injury. For guys like Jim McMahon or guys like that to come out NOW and say that they didn't know that they could be hurt permanently...I just don't buy it. The players of that time were just as disinterested in the long term impacts as the coaches & owners were.

Yes, there is certainly known issues with football and certain injuries. However, if I understand these law suits accurately, a busted knee or hip is not the issue. I think both sides would tell you that these types of injuries are part of the game and a risk both sides assumed.

It's the concussion issue that's the real issue here, an issue that you simply can't lay blame to anyone. I like that the former players and the league are pushing the issue. But the current players seem, at best, indifferent and at most, incredulous over the attempts to keep them safe. Players like Polamalu, who have had multiple concussions but speak out against player safety issues make me shake my head. I really don't think he has a grasp just how bad things could be for him 20 years down the road.

**wickedsolo** · 05-07-2012, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by HoustonRaven

Yes, there is certainly known issues with football and certain injuries. However, if I understand these law suits accurately, a busted knee or hip is not the issue. I think both sides would tell you that these types of injuries are part of the game and a risk both sides assumed.

It's the concussion issue that's the real issue here, an issue that you simply can't lay blame to anyone. I like that the former players and the league are pushing the issue. But the current players seem, at best, indifferent and at most, incredulous over the attempts to keep them safe.

And you know you could argue that during the 80's guys like Jim McMahon weren't too concerned with it either.

To me, this is kind of similar to tobacco companies getting sued by people who smoked for 50 years and now have lung cancer. Sure, the general feeling back in the day was that tobacco use wasn't a big deal and everyone was doing it. Now all of a sudden with cancer being one of the main stage medical issues that everyone talks about you have these guys who are coming out of the woodworks and suing tobacco companies because they have cancer.

**srobert96** · 05-07-2012, 09:18 AM

I am cynical about linking concussions to suicide. I think you would have to look at the rate by which other athletes who suffer similar head trauma commit suicide. You rarely hear about hockey players and or boxers committing suicide. You have look at the reason for the cause of depression. In football I think you are seeing a lot of players that just struggle with life after the sport. You go from being on top of the world making a ton of money to being more or less forgotten and broke. You have no real skill other than playing football. That is hard to stomach. I have read that most men really struggle with life after retirement even if they are in the latter part of their life. If something has been part of your life for so long and now you no longer have it how do you replace that?

With the lawsuit I believe you are starting to see players who did not manage their money well who are jumping in on the lawsuit. I am sure there are a few extreme cases where the concussions are affecting their lives but not at the numbers of former players jumping on the lawsuits.

**arnie_uk** · 05-07-2012, 09:30 AM

Regards the suicide thing, i dont think the football players should be allowed to leave college, until the graduate with a degree, so they at least have something they hopefully enjoy, to fall back on when they retire.

To me i think its coming from everything to nothing, money problems, bordem, etc etc that is the cause of the suicides rather than concussions.

At least if they have a degree and something to fall back on, a change of life after football, a job, that they love, they might continue on with a happy life...