Concussions. The word alone can cause a stir, especially when attached to the NFL. It has not just become an important issue in the NFL, but a polarizing one as well. Some of the most marquee players, otherwise still fit to play, have been forced out of the league because of head injuries.
There was a published report of 1,094 former players, ages 27 to 86, that revealed that more than 61% of those surveyed had concussions during their playing days, and most of them said they were not sidelined after their injuries.
That report was published in 2001. That's 11 years ago, and it was based on data collected over 15 years ago in 1995-96 by the NFL Players Association. Has the NFL truly done anything to clean this up? Not according to former NFL center Dermontti Dawson.
Recently the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Dawson, a former member of the Pittsburgh Steelers who is to be inducted into the 2012 Hall of Fame, is of the latest of former NFL players to file suit against the NFL for head injuries sustained while playing professional football.
According to a suit filed July 3rd in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Dawson and three other former Steelers, are among 47 former players being represented by attorneys John D. Giddens and Phillip Thomas in Jackson, Mississippi.
In the suit it is alleged that the league "was aware of the evidence and the risks associated with repetitive traumatic brain injuries and concussions for decades, but deliberately ignored and actively concealed the information from the Plaintiffs and all others who participated in organized football at all levels."
It also claimed that the repeated injuries can lead to "Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy", or CTE.
As would be expected, the NFLPA sides with the players in this. DeMaurice Smith, head of the NFLPA, has been dealing with such issues this offseason. In an interview last June with Michel Martin of NPR News' "Tell Me More", Smith answered questions regarding the New Orleans Saints Bounty scandal, lawsuits and player safety.
Staying specifically on the topic of concussions and player safety, there were two things that Smith said that was of particular interest. Though being in the somewhat precarious position of defending player vs. player, he addressed openly his view of the safety of the game.
Martin asked him, "Just on the question of whether you feel that the game is being made safer...do you think you and the league are on the same page that you're moving in the right direction?"
Smith replied, "Yes, I do. We made an affirmative decision that the players weren't going to have two-a-day practices anymore, not because we wanted to have our players off, but because all of the medical data shows that if you want to make a significant change in the management of potential concussions, what you do is you decrease the exposure to head-to-head or head-to-ground contact."
That's all well and good. Protecting your investment, as it were, is only smart. It's well known that boxers get "punch drunk" from not so much the hits in the actual prize fights, but from the hundreds and maybe thousands of sparring rounds during years of training. Reducing the number of such hits is only one part of it, though.
Amongst other things, as this blog has touched on before, the rabbit hole goes much deeper. It's an aggregate of game hits, practice hits, turf as opposed to grass, helmets, the team doctor/trainer and, maybe most importantly, the player himself.
Speaking on those last two points, Smith said that "there shouldn't be a football exception with respect to how a doctor treats a player. He should treat a player as a patient. We should remove anything like a football exception where bad conduct is justified, glorified, or accepted. We should do a better job of researching and providing our resources towards trying to make the game safer."
Tell that to Colt McCoy of the Cleveland Browns. What Smith said next, though, is what causes this article to be written.
"I'm not willing to say that it is a sport that cannot be made safe. What I am, and fervently believe - over the last four years have we done things in football to make the game safer for our players? Yes. But that has only come by the dedicated effort of the players themselves to change the culture and the paradigm of football."
Ah, there's the rub.
On Wednesday, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu was on the Dan Patrick Show and made some very candid comments about whether or not he's had concussions.
“Yes, I have, for sure,” Polamalu said.
Polamalu evidently, though, sees a distinction between having one's "bell rung" by a hit to the head and blatantly lying about a significant injury.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve had any major lies,” Polamalu said. “Somebody may say, ‘Is your knee messed up?’ It may be kind of messed up but you just kind of push yourself to be out there with your brothers. I wouldn’t say there are any major lies where I totally lied may way out of concussions. In fact, during concussions, if it’s serious enough you can’t even be conscious enough to lie.”
“I’ve had, I believe, eight or nine recorded concussions. We’ll have another conversation after I’m done playing football,” Polamalu continued. “When you get your bell rung they consider that a concussion - I wouldn’t. If that is considered a concussion, I’d say any football player at least records 50 to 100 concussions a year.”
He then said, "There’s so much built up about team camaraderie and sacrifice, and football is such a tough man’s game. I think that’s why it’s so popular, why so many blue-collar communities and people feel really attracted to it, because it’s sort of a blue-collar struggle that football players go through in terms of the physicality of the game and the commitment you need. It’s that commitment you need to play football. You feel sore, you’re beat up, you’re injured, you’re legitimately injured, most people may take three months off to work in an office, we choose to play the next week.”
As always, I appreciate his candor. Polamalu is a true warrior and only speaks from that standpoint. He's a throwback. He's the type you want in battle with you. He is a bruiser and has uncanny instincts in the secondary. He's going to hit you no matter what the consequences are. He simply plays the game the way it should be played: physically.
That having been said, his comments go against what DeMaurice Smith said regarding a "dedicated effort of the players themselves to change the culture and the paradigm of football." What Polamalu said isn't a player changing a culture or paradigm.
The same can even be said of Dawson. Not that he blatantly made any such definitive comment, but Dawson just crushed people. Regularly. He may have been the best pulling center ever and he was a tenacious blocker at the second and third levels. He mauled defenders and was a major reason Jerome Bettis was able to rack up all the yards he did.
So, with all that's been said, I don't know how much room many players have to cry foul against the NFL. If they didn't know what they were getting into before stepping onto the field, they damn sure knew with that first hit.
Players have talked openly in the past about not feeling completely better until the time the next week's game comes around, and not completely healed from the previous season until it's time for next season's training camp.
The NFL has been described, specifically the offensive/defensive line play, as being in a car wreck 60 times a day. Now, multiply that by 16 or more games a year and then by 10 or more years. I'm no math major, but it's more than my toes and fingers so I know it's a lot. And these players want to claim ignorance and, in essence, sue McDonalds because they placed a hot cup of coffee between their legs while they drove and didn't think they'd get burned?
Make no mistake, the NFL is certainly guilty of marketing these "car wrecks" in the various videos that they sell to make millions of dollars. They certainly exploit the players to a degree as well. Are the players not aware of this, though?
If the players go into this knowing they're using their bodies in this manner to make money, do they really have the right to then turn around and blame the NFL? The next time you see a pimp and his ho, ask them.
Showing posts with label DeMaurice Smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DeMaurice Smith. Show all posts
Friday, July 20, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Bounty Scandal, Concussions Encompass Past, Present & Future Of NFL
The confluence of events this first week of May has to have Roger Goodell's head spinning.
There was the tragic passing of former NFL linebacking great, Junior Seau, there were the suspensions Goodell himself laid down on the Bountygate scandal, there was the class action lawsuit against the NFL from former players saying that they weren't protected for so long, and the NFLPA has filed a grievance vs. NFL challenging Commissioner Goodell's authority to suspend the four players he did.
Don't forget that DeMaurice Smith is caught between a rock and a hard place, too, because he has to defend players...against players. Players who put out bounties on fellow players. Just as importantly, players who are now railing against being fined and/or suspended.
But, despite the fact that Goodell remains historically inconsistent in matters of meting out punishments, I maintain that he got this one right.
Their grievance is of interest because there are over 50,000 pages of evidence in the NFL report. Add to the fact that they signed a CBA that gives Goodell the power to hand out these sanctions. So, yes, suspended Saints players will get the "due process" for which the union bargained. But you get caught with your hand in the proverbial cookie jar and you have to expect it to get slapped. -
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/02/saints-players-will-receive-the-due-process-for-which-the-union-bargained/
"The way I look at it, Steelers [are] only ones who can complain about Goodell's power. 31 other teams could've voted against CBA but didn't. #karma" - Mark Kaboly, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Exactly, Mark. Steelers players are doing just that by the way. There was quite a Twitter buzz over the suspensions assessed by Goodell from Steelers Ryan Clark, LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison. - http://t.co/tvBhrwjW
An example of how the Steelers players reacted is from Ryan Clark: “@RealRClark25: Wonder why the team got the least penalties in Bounty Gate! Think about who elected & rewarded the commish, it's the owners of the teams!”
Woodley and Harrison had not-so-dissimilar sentiments. Not unexpected considering there's no love lost between Goodell and the Steelers, especially James Harrison.
The reality, though, is that Goodell does have the power to levy fines and suspensions. He also has the power to hear appeals, if the NFL is treating Bountygate as an "off the field" issue that is. But if it's "on the field" then appeals go to an independent arbitrator.
The NFL is making sure those bases are covered too, though. Mary Jo White, a New York-based attorney who formerly was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, was hired by league to review the bounty scandal. She calls the evidence against the players "quite strong."
“It is a rare situation where you have multiple independent sources with first-hand knowledge,” Mary Jo White, said in a conference call with reporters. “This is not something based on what somebody else said to them. It is an unusually strong record on which the commissioner acted.” - http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/football-insider/post/former-federal-prosecutor-mary-jo-white-says-the-nfl-case-against-suspended-players-is-strong/2012/05/03/gIQAp3EqzT_blog.html
If the players are so vehement over the suspensions because they're innocent of any and all allegations, why didn't they meet with Goodell to proclaim their innocence? - http://t.co/ReOIhnBp
Could it be because Hargrove provided empirical evidence when he signed a declaration that was submitted by the NFLPA? - http://t.co/y1MdyFh8
The players involved are on a real slippery slope here. They haven't done themselves any favors leading up to this and have instead tried to back door the situation by attempting to steer review process away from Goodell. - http://t.co/VDuE0JM4
That having been said, there is support for some of Goodell's power being taken away. ESPN's Mike Hill and Mark Schlereth were very blunt in tweeting their opinions on the matter.
“@HillSchlereth: "They need to change who hands out the punishments. It needs to be someone independent outside of the NFL."
Personally, I agree. It's my opinion that Goodell suspends players based upon the level of embarassment to the "shield" and not on actual infractions. It might even seem to the average or ancillary fan that Goodell has no rhyme or reason with regard to his discipline.
When Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for the beginning of 2010, there was no arrest, basically no evidence and no conviction. On the other hand, Tank Johnson was arrested in Chicago for possession of a handgun in his sport utility vehicle. "It is unlawful to carry or possess any firearm in any vehicle or concealed on or about the person, except on one’s land or in one’s home or fixed place of business" in Illinois.
Johnson pled guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge and was sentenced. On February 12, 2006, Johnson, while still on probation, was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest after allegedly verbally threatening a police officer.
On December 14, 2006, police officers searched Johnson's home in Gurnee, Illinois, and discovered that he possessed six firearms, including two assault rifles. According to police reports, some of the guns were loaded and there were children in the house.
Johnson was even forced to appear in Circuit court to request permission to leave the State of Illinois to travel to Miami, Florida to play in Super Bowl XLI. Johnson met with Goodell to determine punishment for his off-the-field transgressions, with Goodell eventually imposing an eight-game suspension, with the possibility of a reduction to six games if Johnson followed certain requirements for violating the NFL player conduct policy.
Four games for no arrest and no case, but six games for having enough artillery to fortify Che Guevara's resistance movement? Not to mention child endangerment.
But Roethlisberger is the franchise quarterback of one of the league's premiere teams. Tank Johnson is...quick, name his draft year. Ok, well, name the position he plays. Exactly. Like I said, level of embarassment to the "shield" trumps actual infractions.
So, it's no surprise that Goodell came down harder on the Saints organization than he did the Patriots' brass: the player safety issue is his main trumpet call. The Bounty scandal directly defies that. Goodell wants a game with fewer paralyzing, career ending and even life ending injuries as his legacy. So he will react stronger when the "shield" is tarnished.
I understand, even applaud, WHAT he's doing, I simply don't agree HOW he's doing it. Wanting player safety is admirable, as no one wants to see another Mike Webster, Dave Duerson or Junior Seau. But too many fans, players and even officials are confused over what the rules actually say. Officials will flag a player for a supposed illegal and finable hit, but no fine comes. Then there will be a hit that the commentators question or that fans boo over because of no flag was thrown, but that receives a fine that Tuesday. Goodell has everyone confused and it affects his being able to completely establish a system that everyone can follow. Or even wants to follow.
Goodell and the NFL need to be more proactive with regard to both the clarification of the rules regarding defenseless, helmet-to-helmet and quarterback hits as well as advances in helmet technology itself. The fining of players for what are deemed illegal hits is reactive and therefore does not equal player safety. The rules on how and where to hit so as to maintain player safety are stated in the rule book, yes. But, as I said, they are incomplete and/or contradictory. All fines do is remind the players to adhere to rules they don't completely understand in the first place. Not to mention the fact that those rules apply to defensive players and not to offensive players. A defensive player cannot lead with his helmet, but a running back can lower his head and lead with his helmet to "attack" the defender. Again, contradictory.
With regard to helmet technology, though, I don't know it will ever advance to the point where the players won't be affected at all. As an NFL lineman once said, being on the offensive or defensive line is like being in a car crash 60 times a day. Well, is every car crash straight forward? Are not many of them from various angles? Can the one hitting often also receive injuries from the "crash"? The analogy is very apt, and can be expanded to include all such tackles, when you consider that few tackles are ever completely "head-on", there is always some form of torque involved that can adversely affect the head, neck and back, and both players can be hurt by a hit. Case in point: 2008 Ravens-Steelers AFC Championship game, safety Ryan Clark launches into Willis McGahee and both stayed down several minutes. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNmEeTgYLvw&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Now, don't get me wrong, that tackle was textbook and was legal at the time. He lead with the shoulder and the helmet contact was secondary and inevitable. But it's an example of the point being made. The NFL is an inherently violent game and there are certain aspects of it that are too dynamic to completely control.
It's true that the human body was not meant to endure that aforementioned inherent violence, but the players know what they're getting involved with when they sign up. That hasn't stopped hundreds of players from filing a class action lawsuit against the NFL for concussions received and for the NFL not taking proper precautions to protect them.
It's not something, per se, that Goodell oversaw, but he still feels the brunt of it as it falls into his lap. Especially since his emphasis has been on concussions and player safety. Because of this, are there post-traumatic stress lawsuits coming as well? Former New York Giants defensive lineman Leonard Marshall wrote a book about concussions and the other effects of playing in the NFL. He sat down for an interview with Amarie of sportschatfanatic.com to discuss these very things. - http://t.co/VVqqGd5t
Amarie can also be found on Twitter at @AmarieSCF and on Facebook at the Amarie SportsChat page. - http://www.facebook.com/jayden.matthews?ref=tn_tnmn#!/amarie.sportschat
The future of the NFL may be quite different in the next ten years if more and more studies and books come out regarding concussions and their long-term effects. Whether it becomes one that's overly cautious to the point of testing players after every game or not remains to be seen. Regardless, the Saints Bounty scandal has had at least a hand in seeing to that coming to fruition. And to Roger Goodell being right in the middle of the head spinning controversies.
There was the tragic passing of former NFL linebacking great, Junior Seau, there were the suspensions Goodell himself laid down on the Bountygate scandal, there was the class action lawsuit against the NFL from former players saying that they weren't protected for so long, and the NFLPA has filed a grievance vs. NFL challenging Commissioner Goodell's authority to suspend the four players he did.
Don't forget that DeMaurice Smith is caught between a rock and a hard place, too, because he has to defend players...against players. Players who put out bounties on fellow players. Just as importantly, players who are now railing against being fined and/or suspended.
But, despite the fact that Goodell remains historically inconsistent in matters of meting out punishments, I maintain that he got this one right.
Their grievance is of interest because there are over 50,000 pages of evidence in the NFL report. Add to the fact that they signed a CBA that gives Goodell the power to hand out these sanctions. So, yes, suspended Saints players will get the "due process" for which the union bargained. But you get caught with your hand in the proverbial cookie jar and you have to expect it to get slapped. -
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/02/saints-players-will-receive-the-due-process-for-which-the-union-bargained/
"The way I look at it, Steelers [are] only ones who can complain about Goodell's power. 31 other teams could've voted against CBA but didn't. #karma" - Mark Kaboly, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Exactly, Mark. Steelers players are doing just that by the way. There was quite a Twitter buzz over the suspensions assessed by Goodell from Steelers Ryan Clark, LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison. - http://t.co/tvBhrwjW
An example of how the Steelers players reacted is from Ryan Clark: “@RealRClark25: Wonder why the team got the least penalties in Bounty Gate! Think about who elected & rewarded the commish, it's the owners of the teams!”
Woodley and Harrison had not-so-dissimilar sentiments. Not unexpected considering there's no love lost between Goodell and the Steelers, especially James Harrison.
The reality, though, is that Goodell does have the power to levy fines and suspensions. He also has the power to hear appeals, if the NFL is treating Bountygate as an "off the field" issue that is. But if it's "on the field" then appeals go to an independent arbitrator.
The NFL is making sure those bases are covered too, though. Mary Jo White, a New York-based attorney who formerly was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, was hired by league to review the bounty scandal. She calls the evidence against the players "quite strong."
“It is a rare situation where you have multiple independent sources with first-hand knowledge,” Mary Jo White, said in a conference call with reporters. “This is not something based on what somebody else said to them. It is an unusually strong record on which the commissioner acted.” - http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/football-insider/post/former-federal-prosecutor-mary-jo-white-says-the-nfl-case-against-suspended-players-is-strong/2012/05/03/gIQAp3EqzT_blog.html
If the players are so vehement over the suspensions because they're innocent of any and all allegations, why didn't they meet with Goodell to proclaim their innocence? - http://t.co/ReOIhnBp
Could it be because Hargrove provided empirical evidence when he signed a declaration that was submitted by the NFLPA? - http://t.co/y1MdyFh8
The players involved are on a real slippery slope here. They haven't done themselves any favors leading up to this and have instead tried to back door the situation by attempting to steer review process away from Goodell. - http://t.co/VDuE0JM4
That having been said, there is support for some of Goodell's power being taken away. ESPN's Mike Hill and Mark Schlereth were very blunt in tweeting their opinions on the matter.
“@HillSchlereth: "They need to change who hands out the punishments. It needs to be someone independent outside of the NFL."
Personally, I agree. It's my opinion that Goodell suspends players based upon the level of embarassment to the "shield" and not on actual infractions. It might even seem to the average or ancillary fan that Goodell has no rhyme or reason with regard to his discipline.
When Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for the beginning of 2010, there was no arrest, basically no evidence and no conviction. On the other hand, Tank Johnson was arrested in Chicago for possession of a handgun in his sport utility vehicle. "It is unlawful to carry or possess any firearm in any vehicle or concealed on or about the person, except on one’s land or in one’s home or fixed place of business" in Illinois.
Johnson pled guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge and was sentenced. On February 12, 2006, Johnson, while still on probation, was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest after allegedly verbally threatening a police officer.
On December 14, 2006, police officers searched Johnson's home in Gurnee, Illinois, and discovered that he possessed six firearms, including two assault rifles. According to police reports, some of the guns were loaded and there were children in the house.
Johnson was even forced to appear in Circuit court to request permission to leave the State of Illinois to travel to Miami, Florida to play in Super Bowl XLI. Johnson met with Goodell to determine punishment for his off-the-field transgressions, with Goodell eventually imposing an eight-game suspension, with the possibility of a reduction to six games if Johnson followed certain requirements for violating the NFL player conduct policy.
Four games for no arrest and no case, but six games for having enough artillery to fortify Che Guevara's resistance movement? Not to mention child endangerment.
But Roethlisberger is the franchise quarterback of one of the league's premiere teams. Tank Johnson is...quick, name his draft year. Ok, well, name the position he plays. Exactly. Like I said, level of embarassment to the "shield" trumps actual infractions.
So, it's no surprise that Goodell came down harder on the Saints organization than he did the Patriots' brass: the player safety issue is his main trumpet call. The Bounty scandal directly defies that. Goodell wants a game with fewer paralyzing, career ending and even life ending injuries as his legacy. So he will react stronger when the "shield" is tarnished.
I understand, even applaud, WHAT he's doing, I simply don't agree HOW he's doing it. Wanting player safety is admirable, as no one wants to see another Mike Webster, Dave Duerson or Junior Seau. But too many fans, players and even officials are confused over what the rules actually say. Officials will flag a player for a supposed illegal and finable hit, but no fine comes. Then there will be a hit that the commentators question or that fans boo over because of no flag was thrown, but that receives a fine that Tuesday. Goodell has everyone confused and it affects his being able to completely establish a system that everyone can follow. Or even wants to follow.
Goodell and the NFL need to be more proactive with regard to both the clarification of the rules regarding defenseless, helmet-to-helmet and quarterback hits as well as advances in helmet technology itself. The fining of players for what are deemed illegal hits is reactive and therefore does not equal player safety. The rules on how and where to hit so as to maintain player safety are stated in the rule book, yes. But, as I said, they are incomplete and/or contradictory. All fines do is remind the players to adhere to rules they don't completely understand in the first place. Not to mention the fact that those rules apply to defensive players and not to offensive players. A defensive player cannot lead with his helmet, but a running back can lower his head and lead with his helmet to "attack" the defender. Again, contradictory.
With regard to helmet technology, though, I don't know it will ever advance to the point where the players won't be affected at all. As an NFL lineman once said, being on the offensive or defensive line is like being in a car crash 60 times a day. Well, is every car crash straight forward? Are not many of them from various angles? Can the one hitting often also receive injuries from the "crash"? The analogy is very apt, and can be expanded to include all such tackles, when you consider that few tackles are ever completely "head-on", there is always some form of torque involved that can adversely affect the head, neck and back, and both players can be hurt by a hit. Case in point: 2008 Ravens-Steelers AFC Championship game, safety Ryan Clark launches into Willis McGahee and both stayed down several minutes. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNmEeTgYLvw&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Now, don't get me wrong, that tackle was textbook and was legal at the time. He lead with the shoulder and the helmet contact was secondary and inevitable. But it's an example of the point being made. The NFL is an inherently violent game and there are certain aspects of it that are too dynamic to completely control.
It's true that the human body was not meant to endure that aforementioned inherent violence, but the players know what they're getting involved with when they sign up. That hasn't stopped hundreds of players from filing a class action lawsuit against the NFL for concussions received and for the NFL not taking proper precautions to protect them.
It's not something, per se, that Goodell oversaw, but he still feels the brunt of it as it falls into his lap. Especially since his emphasis has been on concussions and player safety. Because of this, are there post-traumatic stress lawsuits coming as well? Former New York Giants defensive lineman Leonard Marshall wrote a book about concussions and the other effects of playing in the NFL. He sat down for an interview with Amarie of sportschatfanatic.com to discuss these very things. - http://t.co/VVqqGd5t
Amarie can also be found on Twitter at @AmarieSCF and on Facebook at the Amarie SportsChat page. - http://www.facebook.com/jayden.matthews?ref=tn_tnmn#!/amarie.sportschat
The future of the NFL may be quite different in the next ten years if more and more studies and books come out regarding concussions and their long-term effects. Whether it becomes one that's overly cautious to the point of testing players after every game or not remains to be seen. Regardless, the Saints Bounty scandal has had at least a hand in seeing to that coming to fruition. And to Roger Goodell being right in the middle of the head spinning controversies.
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