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The NFL and head injuries

backseatLover12backseatLover12 Posts: 2,312
edited October 2013 in A Moving Train
I saw this on PBS last night. Some eye-opening news about what all those direct hits mean to one's health, as well as the NFL's comparison to the tobacco industry.

http://video.pbs.org/video/2365093675/
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • hedonisthedonist Posts: 24,524
    I can't watch the video from work, but don't players go into it with the knowledge they're going to get hit, and hard? They have to assume that risk; it's the nature of the game.

    Same thing with professional fighters.
  • polaris_xpolaris_x Posts: 13,559
    hedonist wrote:
    I can't watch the video from work, but don't players go into it with the knowledge they're going to get hit, and hard? They have to assume that risk; it's the nature of the game.

    Same thing with professional fighters.

    in a way yes and in a way no ... i don't believe the common athlete understands the true nature of head injuries ... heck, i don't think most people do ... people don't equate long term consequences to head injuries ...
  • hedonisthedonist Posts: 24,524
    polaris_x wrote:
    hedonist wrote:
    I can't watch the video from work, but don't players go into it with the knowledge they're going to get hit, and hard? They have to assume that risk; it's the nature of the game.

    Same thing with professional fighters.

    in a way yes and in a way no ... i don't believe the common athlete understands the true nature of head injuries ... heck, i don't think most people do ... people don't equate long term consequences to head injuries ...
    But...I'm not an athlete and even I get it! Hell, look what happened to Liam Neeson's wife and so many others who suffered one strong blow.

    It just stands to reason that if you're repeatedly slammed in the head, even with these newer stronger helmets (which in themselves may contribute to this), there's gonna be at least some damage done down the road.
  • Last-12-ExitLast-12-Exit Posts: 8,661
    NFL, NHL players as well as boxers most certainly know the risks associated with blows to the head. They knew it as far back as the '80s. The problem is that the NFL and NHL denied that hits were responsible for long term illness after retirement. And up until recently, didn't give a fuck.

    The recent settlement was a joke. Roger Goodell knew that the former players suffering needed money now. And the players accepted the $775 million dollars because they had bills to pay. In reality, the NFL should have paid closer to $5 BILLION.
  • lukin2006lukin2006 Posts: 9,087
    they know the risk, they choose to play the sport ... where else can they make millions in such a short period of time ... I think they just hope they will not be a statistic or they think it will not happen to them ... I also think most of us would choose to play professional sports knowing the risk, because where else can you make millions so quickly ... and yes I know money does not repair brain damage, but when your young you think your invincible.
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  • backseatLover12backseatLover12 Posts: 2,312
    The risks are more damaging than you think. When you have the time, just watch the PBS doc.
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,051
    Believe me, concussions suck, BIG time. After someones gets one concussion, the next one happens more easily. So continuing to play after recovering is crazy because there is never 100% recovery. Football, boxing- barbaric.

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  • Dirtie_FrankDirtie_Frank Posts: 1,348
    Play without the pads, then the players won't feel so invincible.
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  • ajedigeckoajedigecko Posts: 2,430
    Dirtie_Frank wrote:
    Play without the pads, then the players won't feel so invincible.


    I would watch again, if this happened.
    live and let live...unless it violates the pearligious doctrine.
  • Last-12-ExitLast-12-Exit Posts: 8,661
    Dirtie_Frank wrote:
    Play without the pads, then the players won't feel so invincible.
    Mike Ditka said he could almost eliminate concussions in football. His answer, go back to leather helmets. He's 100% right.
  • Jason PJason P Posts: 19,138
    I got my bell rung several times playing high school ball.

    It was worth it when I scored four touchdowns in a single game while leading the Polk High Panthers to win the 1966 city championship ... I think that was me ... my memory is a little hazy :think:
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 Posts: 23,303
    the nfl is completely negligent here. the nfl and team owners knew of the dangers of repeated head injuries. the research has been there for years. everyone knows that head injuries are cumulative. they build on top of each other and the brain injury and damage gets worse and worse with every concussion producing blow they take. the nfl got off light in that settlement.

    i am a certified athletic trainer by profession. if you do not know what that is, we are the guys who work with teams who run out on the field to tend to injured players. i have been doing this since 1995 as a student athletic trainer, and since 1998 when i got certified and licensed. i have worked with 2 division one football programs and i worked at one of the largest high schools in st louis from 2000-2008. i have seen my share of head injuries. they are the most difficult thing to assess because many times there are no outward symptoms for the mild ones. there is no limping, there is no bruising, there is no swelling, so there are no outward signs of anything being wrong. all you can go by is what the athlete tells you. the can complain of headaches, nausea, dizziness, light and noise sensitivity, etc, but if they are on the field a lot of times you are not gonna know until they come off an tell you. sometimes they don't say anything until the next half. there are some objective things to look for like pupil dilation, balance and coordination and memory tests and things, but those are so much easier to detect in moderately injured athletes. the mildly injured ones may not ever say anything to you.

    the problem with football is the "don't-be-a-pussy" mentality and culture that is so prevalent in the game. this is seen even in youth football. athletes are under pressure from parents, coaches, teammates, to never say anything when they are hurt. they are taught to suck it up and play through any issues they might be having. they are shamed and called soft. they are told that "you are not a man if you keep going to the trainer." i have witnessed it firsthand. they are told "you might be hurt but you aren't injured" and all of this other bs.

    from an athletic trainer's perspective, it is crucial to know the athletes you are trusted to care for. know their personalities. know when they are acting normally and when something about them is off. at a high school it is hard to do if you have 90 kids on your varsity team and you are the only athletic trainer in the whole school. it is much easier to handle in college and professional settings because you have multiple staff athletic trainers and multiple physicians to help you manage the team.

    i can not tell you how many times i have had to take away a kid's helmet and hold him out of a game and hold him out of practice until cleared by a team physician, because if i allowed him to go back in with a mild concussion and he takes a second concussive blow, that second impact can be fatal. see "second impact syndrome". my duty was to protect that kid at all costs and not expose him to any more danger. sure sometimes coaches and parents got pissed at me for holding a kid out, but they always came to me later and thanked me for looking out for the best interests of the kid and the kid's health.

    the game of football is going to have to change. then entire culture of american football is going to have to change. and with this lawsuit, it is gonna change substantially and sooner than we ever thought it would. in the interest of protecting the athletes, these changes are 40 years too late.
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  • mickeyratmickeyrat Posts: 38,607
    no matter how well designed the equipment is they will never stop the free floating brain from slamming into the skull from these plays. THAT is the problem. one that cant be addressed and still play at the level these guys do.
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  • Prince Of DorknessPrince Of Dorkness Posts: 3,763
    The argument of "they knew the risk" doesn't wash.

    Many didn't know the long-term risks. The NFL hid and down-played the risks and denied that the eventual crippling mental illnesses that plagued the players had anything to do with the repeated hard hits.

    The NFL made trillions off of those men and they paid them as little as possible and cheated them out of money they should have gotten.
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  • satansbedsatansbed Posts: 2,139
    Last-12-Exit wrote:
    Dirtie_Frank wrote:
    Play without the pads, then the players won't feel so invincible.
    Mike Ditka said he could almost eliminate concussions in football. His answer, go back to leather helmets. He's 100% right.

    It wouldn't remove the problem, we are beginning to see the beginning of a concussion issue in rugby, although to a much lesser extent i would imagine. remove the pads and make hits illegal as apposed to tackles (you wrap your arms in a tackle)
  • Last-12-ExitLast-12-Exit Posts: 8,661
    Jason P wrote:
    I got my bell rung several times playing high school ball.

    It was worth it when I scored four touchdowns in a single game while leading the Polk High Panthers to win the 1966 city championship ... I think that was me ... my memory is a little hazy :think:
    sounds like al bundys story!
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,051
    I'm wondering how the leather helmets would help-- lined them with bubble pack? Maybe coat the outsides with Velcro so instead of violently slamming off each others heads they would just stick together.

    Hey, sorry. It's Friday night. What can I say? :crazy:
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  • hedonisthedonist Posts: 24,524
    I think stronger helmets give way to moving harder, with (perceived) confidence.

    The leather ones, being softer, wouldn't have someone slamming into their opponent with such full-force.
  • backseatLover12backseatLover12 Posts: 2,312
    Doesn't it have to do with using one's head as a weapon, per say? Those head hits are from players using their heads to really hurt the other players... It's the problem.
  • hedonisthedonist Posts: 24,524
    backseatLover12 wrote:
    Doesn't it have to do with using one's head as a weapon, per say? Those head hits are from players using their heads to really hurt the other players... It's the problem.
    So what's the solution? IS there one?
  • satansbedsatansbed Posts: 2,139
    backseatLover12 wrote:
    Doesn't it have to do with using one's head as a weapon, per say? Those head hits are from players using their heads to really hurt the other players... It's the problem.

    the other thing is playing in the trenches is like banging your head against the wall for 2 hours.

    the first thing you learn in rugby at u8's is both how to tackle and how to get tackled, two really important skills
  • Last-12-ExitLast-12-Exit Posts: 8,661
    satansbed wrote:
    backseatLover12 wrote:
    Doesn't it have to do with using one's head as a weapon, per say? Those head hits are from players using their heads to really hurt the other players... It's the problem.

    the other thing is playing in the trenches is like banging your head against the wall for 2 hours.

    the first thing you learn in rugby at u8's is both how to tackle and how to get tackled, two really important skills
    how to get tackled. very good point.
  • backseatLover12backseatLover12 Posts: 2,312
    Last-12-Exit wrote:
    satansbed wrote:
    backseatLover12 wrote:
    Doesn't it have to do with using one's head as a weapon, per say? Those head hits are from players using their heads to really hurt the other players... It's the problem.

    the other thing is playing in the trenches is like banging your head against the wall for 2 hours.

    the first thing you learn in rugby at u8's is both how to tackle and how to get tackled, two really important skills
    how to get tackled. very good point.

    Exactly, satansbed. Isn't supposed to be using your upper body, rather than the head?

    And you don't hear of the older players from the 70s and 80s having this brain injuries from playing for years. (Joe Montana, Nameth, etc) They didn't use their heads, rather they tackled appropriately.
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