Wooderson Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Good guest article I came across written by George Koonce who recently submitted a doctoral dissertation on life after the game. http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/65343/guest-column-surviving-life-after-the-nfl When that day comes and they say your services are no longer needed, you are in a very lonely and dark place. That first year out of football, I drank. I can distinctly remember going into Wal-Mart and buying the first season of "Law & Order" and watching it alone at our beach place from Thursday through Sunday night. It was such a lonely time. And it was on the drive back home that I took that turn at 75 mph just to see what would happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Interesting article. I think anybody who retires whether voluntarily or forced goes through an awkward transition. When I lost my dream job, that I was heavily emotionally invested in, I cried for days. It was a real emotional loss like losing a spouse or parent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Good guest article I came across written by George Koonce who recently submitted a doctoral dissertation on life after the game. http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/65343/guest-column-surviving-life-after-the-nfl Whoa---watching "Law and Order" alone--at "our beach place"?? That's some dark dark sh*t, right there. Some real CTE, no doubt. Look, this is mildly insulting to anyone who has to work their whole life for a lot less money than this guy. So no one is kissing his ass and cheering his every move and paying way too much anymore? Why is this compelling? Go out and get a job, fellas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyMannn Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Whoa---watching "Law and Order" alone--at "our beach place"?? That's some dark dark sh*t, right there. Some real CTE, no doubt. Look, this is mildly insulting to anyone who has to work their whole life for a lot less money than this guy. So no one is kissing his ass and cheering his every move and paying way too much anymore? Why is this compelling? Go out and get a job, fellas. Exactly. Millions of American workers are kicked to the curb without the benefits of million dollar salaries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toshiero Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Whoa---watching "Law and Order" alone--at "our beach place"?? That's some dark dark sh*t, right there. Some real CTE, no doubt. Look, this is mildly insulting to anyone who has to work their whole life for a lot less money than this guy. So no one is kissing his ass and cheering his every move and paying way too much anymore? Why is this compelling? Go out and get a job, fellas. Its harsh but you spoke the truth. Unless they have PHYSICAL issues from the game (brain damage etc) then I don't want to hear it. Trying to commit suicide after a pro football career? !@#$ him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Caveman Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Exactly. Millions of American workers are kicked to the curb without the benefits of million dollar salaries And billions elsewhere in the world have a much worse time of it. For me, the interesting point of the article is that the human experience doesn't change all that much, and everyone struggles. Dude obviously had some issues even when he was playing - calling his agent 3-4 times a day for 8 years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 I think the bigger deal is an NFL (and larger sports) culture that doesn't really prepare men to face their issues - fear, failure, life after a very short career, irrelevance. These are things that can sink the average individual, to say nothing of someone who experiences euphoric highs and exposure and "relevance" in our culture. Lots of people struggle with their self-worth after a job has run its course. And in the NFL you are basically being told at a very young age that you are too old, infirm, not tough enough to do what you've spent all of your time preparing for since youth. I do agree that on the face of it, some of these things sound really magnified to say the least. But I can also understand how meaningless one's life might feel when you've gotten the kind of build-up these guys get, then suddenly it's over. We've seen the same thing with a lot of our favorite Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFITZ1 Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Its harsh but you spoke the truth. Unless they have PHYSICAL issues from the game (brain damage etc) then I don't want to hear it. Trying to commit suicide after a pro football career? !@#$ him. From your comments I can conclude that there in lies the problem. Someone calls out for help but no one cares. Someone won't call out for help for fear of getting blown off. That's when life can go terribly wrong. Many of these guys are not prepared mentally for life after football no matter how much money they got, and his conclusion is right that they need some help and guidance. That's the way it is no matter how much money they have. I'm willing to bet that on the whole, players from the 60's and 70's did better in life after football because they had no choice but to prepare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Whoa---watching "Law and Order" alone--at "our beach place"?? That's some dark dark sh*t, right there. Some real CTE, no doubt. Look, this is mildly insulting to anyone who has to work their whole life for a lot less money than this guy. So no one is kissing his ass and cheering his every move and paying way too much anymore? Why is this compelling? Go out and get a job, fellas. I so disagree. Koonce is telling us that financial wealth doesn't equate to emotional, psychological or spiritual health. Koonce still had wealth after football. But he lost his happiness and because suicidal. If this isn't "compelling" to you, don't read the article. A lot of ex-players suffer after the NFL. Maybe the concussions have something to do with it. Certainly, the sudden loss of admiration and adulation after becoming accustomed to it will have an impact. It's only human. You seem to want Koonce to be more like us and be happy with less. But Koonce is like us. Most of us would probably suffer emotionally if suddenly we were a football star and then with equal suddenness, we weren't. Those are hard transitions for the regular guy. Duerson and Seau committed suicide. Koonce considered it. Go out and get a heart, fellas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadOTC Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 I really wanna feel sorry for these guys, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Millions of people get depressed and suicidal every day around the world. Call me crazy but I think any one of them would prefer to be a millionaire or at the very least financially secure for the rest of their lives when that happens. Not ready for a life without people cheering for you all the time? Too bad, welcome to the real world, grow the f*** up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kkspike Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 you can always play 4 years in the league and walk away.Save your money fool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Best Player Available Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I really wanna feel sorry for these guys, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Millions of people get depressed and suicidal every day around the world. Call me crazy but I think any one of them would prefer to be a millionaire or at the very least financially secure for the rest of their lives when that happens. Not ready for a life without people cheering for you all the time? Too bad, welcome to the real world, grow the f*** up. ^^^^This Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooderson Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 (edited) I really wanna feel sorry for these guys, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Millions of people get depressed and suicidal every day around the world. Call me crazy but I think any one of them would prefer to be a millionaire or at the very least financially secure for the rest of their lives when that happens. Not ready for a life without people cheering for you all the time? Too bad, welcome to the real world, grow the f*** up. Who cares about the money. They are obviously suffering from some emotional and mental problems. Just because you have money, doesn't mean all your other problems are solved. Edited May 22, 2012 by Wooderson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Estro Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Who cares about the money. They are obviously suffering from some emotional and mental problems. Just because you have money, doesn't mean all your other problems are solved. No one forces them to play though. This is America and people are free to choose how to live their life. If a player was "forced" to play the game and suffered because of it I could at least understand. But these people chose to play the game, knowing that its a violent game where people can get hurt. All this suffering crap is a joke. Let them go out in the real world and make 40-80k a year and not suffer if football isn't for them, no ones stopping them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Cubed Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 (edited) Its funny, the posters who equate money to happiness. For those people, I suggest watching a documentary called "Happy." Scientists for years and years have studied depression and how it effects the brain. It wasnt until recently they started studying happiness and what makes someone happy and feeling successful in life, in the brain. Here's a hint, it's not money. Yes, a person who lives on the streets and suddenly gets enough money for food and shelter, would be happy. But they have found there is little to no difference between someone who makes $50,000 and $5 million, in terms of how happy a person they are. The serotonin levels, the protein that causes happiness, are not any higher. So no, a person who is depressed or suicidal, who has millions isn't anymore happier than your average American. It's a fact. It's measurable, just like depression. Edited May 22, 2012 by Wayne Cubed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Nothing like seeing the joe sixpacks of the world comment on a situation they know nothing about, and likely can't comprehend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooderson Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 No one forces them to play though. This is America and people are free to choose how to live their life. If a player was "forced" to play the game and suffered because of it I could at least understand. But these people chose to play the game, knowing that its a violent game where people can get hurt. All this suffering crap is a joke. Let them go out in the real world and make 40-80k a year and not suffer if football isn't for them, no ones stopping them. Yes, but the last thing that you think about when entering the league is "wow, how is this game going to affect me in ten years when I get out of the NFL?" George is trying to educate younger players on how to react after you're out of the league and maybe AVOID suicide attempts or drug addictions in the future. You don't just go up to somebody with depression and say, "wow, you made $5 million dollars in your life? You're not allowed to be depressed because you're rich." People have mental health issues, it's the world we live in. Quit bringing money into the equation as an end all be all to emotional struggles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 It's not just about the money, I get that. Seau was suicidal. This guy had may have had a suicidal ideation (he clearly was physically unhurt afer his high speed turn, and that was his intent--to survive), but he seems nothing like Duerson. The number of players who go to this extreme is extremely low, despite all of them having the same amount of lifelong brain trauma. What Koonse is describing is being really bummed out about not being able to play pro football anymore--relagated to watching crappy TV reruns at his vacation waterfront home. These guys are emotionally immature and unable to make significant life decisions because of it. They have their entire career to figure out their post football life. They don't bother. Then when it's over, they wonder what happened. I sympathize with Duerson, who actually seemed like he was suffering from brain injury, and Seau, who doesn't seem to have shown any such signs but was obviously profoundly depressed. In my opinion lumping Koonse and his story (and those like him) in with these men trivializes the issue of brain injury, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadOTC Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Who cares about the money. They are obviously suffering from some emotional and mental problems. Just because you have money, doesn't mean all your other problems are solved. My point wasn't that they should be happy just because they have money. My point was there are millions of other depressed people around the world who don't have the money and have much more serious problems to deal with. If your biggest concern is that you spent 4 days watching Law & Order at your beach house because no one told you to go work out to be ready to play football, I don't care about your problems. Write a story about someone who is depressed because they have a terminal illness, lost their family and their home, and I will absolutely feel sorry for them and do what I can to help. Reading a story about a rich retired football player who doesn't know what to do with himself doesn't make me feel sorry for him. It makes me want to tell him to pull his head out of his ass and learn to appreciate everything he has that lots of other people don't have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Cubed Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 My point wasn't that they should be happy just because they have money. My point was there are millions of other depressed people around the world who don't have the money and have much more serious problems to deal with. If your biggest concern is that you spent 4 days watching Law & Order at your beach house because no one told you to go work out to be ready to play football, I don't care about your problems. Write a story about someone who is depressed because they have a terminal illness, lost their family and their home, and I will absolutely feel sorry for them and do what I can to help. Reading a story about a rich retired football player who doesn't know what to do with himself doesn't make me feel sorry for him. It makes me want to tell him to pull his head out of his ass and learn to appreciate everything he has that lots of other people don't have. Can't get away from the money issue huh? Depression/Happiness/Sadness don't choose people based on what they have in life. It's a chemical balance or inbalance in the brain. It has nothing to do with his wealth. You do understand it is possible to have everything and be sad or confused? Yes, he played football so he's getting more press about his life after football, but that doesn't mean people should dimiss his mental stability. And simply telling them to "pull his head out of his ass" isn't going to change how he feels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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