San Jose Bills Fan Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Does anyone have a link to these reports where the NFL claimed that concussions were completely harmless? This is a good start: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3644940 That's why I dropped his name upthread a few times. The linked story is from 2006. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 If this article is true, then the number of kids playing football is already starting to decline. http://askcoachwolff.com/2012/08/12/dangers-of-concussions-new-numbers-suggest-fewer-kids-playing-tackle-football/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 This is a good start: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3644940 That's why I dropped his name upthread a few times. The linked story is from 2006. good link - thats the story i was hoping to find but couldnt remember what service it was on/who wrote it/what it was called to look it up and as i know you and i have also often had brief talks about, the pain killers (specifically Toradol) being administered totally recklessly with the team docs basically shooting anyone and everyone up, whenever they want and telling them its a-okay nothing to worry about. some of the nfls decisions with regards to health/safety have dug a huge hole that is going to be very tough to climb out of. financially i think they can handle the lawsuits, generally, but i think the distrust from parents sending their kids into these sports coupled with the obvious risks even if you trust them.... itll be what puts the ceiling on the nfls seemingly unstoppable growth. If this article is true, then the number of kids playing football is already starting to decline. http://askcoachwolff.com/2012/08/12/dangers-of-concussions-new-numbers-suggest-fewer-kids-playing-tackle-football/ dont doubt it at all - if you have a kid that can throw a bullet do you put a baseball or a football in his hands? for a kid with an arm the baseball direction is safer, pays more, has more openings on a team..... itll catch up eventually. because the talent pool across the league will be sinking itll still be a competitive fun product but these shifts happen and the nfl is not immune Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Well, if you want to get technical about it, the term "CTE" was first used in medical journals in 1996 and became the preferred medical term vs. "pugilistic dementia." The point is that the pathology of the disease has been studied since the 1920s. I think your description of Boston University's research into the disease as just a way to "make money" is rather cynical and short-sighted. Whether or not anyone relates their research to bolstering a case in a lawsuit has nothing to do with the fact that what they are finding out is a great public service to those who never considered that concussions, especially in other sports and in young children, can have such devastating effects on the brain. GO BILLS!!! I've worked with some of their people and to label them as a bunch of guys out to make some money is ridiculous. I could go on and on with a list of positives that have come out of the medical research there. The guy I'm really mad at though is that F'er who invented cancer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 If this article is true, then the number of kids playing football is already starting to decline. http://askcoachwolff...ackle-football/ Good find. That said, I'll be most surprised when I see a decline in the South. I wonder if that's happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 (edited) Good find. That said, I'll be most surprised when I see a decline in the South. I wonder if that's happening. North first then (maybe) south. Football is ubiquitous in Texas and several other southern states. Whole towns empty out to go to high school football games some places. Up where I am you see parents and girlfriends in the stands and not many others. Edited January 25, 2013 by CodeMonkey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Ta Nehisi Coates of The Atlantic provides a timeline of the NFL's reaction to CTE: http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/01/the-nfls-response-to-brain-trauma-a-brief-history/272520/2/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tcali Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 Despite your personal opinion, That's not the decision that the courts rendered in the class action suit that multiple State Attorneys General brought and won....costing the tobacco companies Billions of Dollars. http://academic.uday...cco/summary.htm http://www.tobaccofr...ch/doj_lawsuit/ yes very true. in my personal opinion the courts were full of sh%^$t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsCelticsAngelsBama Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 Dick Butkus said years ago that going back to leather helmets would discourage 90 % of all players from using their heads as weapons. Not that I buy that argument but there has to be a better way to either eliminate using your helmet to stop the opponent or making the helmet where it can still protect the wearer without causing severe injury to those hit with it. From damage sustained as a kid playing football perhaps? I'm not saying the players are blameless mind you. But if the NFL withheld information from players about the dangers then they are culpable as well in my opinion. So if the doctors from all the teams got up in training camp and told every player on the roster the risk (based on the knowledge they had at the time) and updated the report every year in a seminar to the players every July, how many players would walk out and go find a job in some other field ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 So if the doctors from all the teams got up in training camp and told every player on the roster the risk (based on the knowledge they had at the time) and updated the report every year in a seminar to the players every July, how many players would walk out and go find a job in some other field ? 1) Morally the league at the very least has to/should have given the players honest information as they now, finally do. Players at this time can at least assess the risk, regardless of what they choose to do with it. 2) Numerous players (Troy Aikman, Steve Young, Kris Dielman, Randall Gay) have quit playing NFL football as a result of understanding the risks. It appears that Lions 2010 first founder Jahvid Best will retire from concussions after playing in only 15 regular season games in his career. In that sense your question is not relevant. The league has finally done the right thing and the players can make decisions armed with the best information possible. Some of them will retire due to an understanding of the risks. It doesn't matter how many. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 Dick Butkus said years ago that going back to leather helmets would discourage 90 % of all players from using their heads as weapons. Not that I buy that argument but there has to be a better way to either eliminate using your helmet to stop the opponent or making the helmet where it can still protect the wearer without causing severe injury to those hit with it. So if the doctors from all the teams got up in training camp and told every player on the roster the risk (based on the knowledge they had at the time) and updated the report every year in a seminar to the players every July, how many players would walk out and go find a job in some other field ? Some have. I'd also say if they told an already injured player the truth about the risks returning instead of pressuring them back onto the field, some might take extra time off. Many players would not change a thing, but they have a right to make an informed choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Bernard Pollard predicts the end of the NFL in 30 years time: http://tracking.si.com/2013/01/28/bernard-pollard-nfl-future-ravens-super-bowl-safety-head-injuries-nfl/?sct=uk_t2_a4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsWatch Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 If they are going to sue then they should prove he was not brain damaged before he started football or at minimum prove it did not happen after he left football. Too many players are not taking any accountability for thier own actions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RkFast Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Bernard Pollard predicts the end of the NFL in 30 years time: http://tracking.si.c...l/?sct=uk_t2_a4 I found about ten examples of Pollard acting like a human missle, but the TSW board software wont allow me to post them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Former Bills kicker Tom Dempsey is now suffering from dementia, apparently brought on by football: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/sports/football/super-bowl-tom-dempsey-former-nfl-kicker-is-dealing-with-dementia.html?ref=sports&_r=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) Former Bills kicker Tom Dempsey is now suffering from dementia, apparently brought on by football: http://www.nytimes.c...ref=sports&_r=0 OK that was a fairly disturbing article. Particularly this: He wistfully recalled how, in high school and college, if his coaches wanted someone on the opposing team knocked out, they usually called on him to deliver a teeth-rattling hit. If they are going to sue then they should prove he was not brain damaged before he started football or at minimum prove it did not happen after he left football. Too many players are not taking any accountability for thier own actions. All players entering the NFL getting a brain scan as a baseline is an excellent idea. Even entering college. Then it could be see how much damage was done earlier and how much during their tenure with the NFL. I can't imagine the NFL would think it is a good idea though, Would probably have to come from the players association. Edited January 28, 2013 by CodeMonkey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 All players entering the NFL getting a brain scan as a baseline is an excellent idea. Even entering college. Then it could be see how much damage was done earlier and how much during their tenure with the NFL. I can't imagine the NFL would think it is a good idea though, Would probably have to come from the players association. Actually every safety initiative in the NFL has been spearheaded by the league offices. The players association refuses to champion safety. The reason is that the NFLPA wants the league to bring safety to the bargaining table so that the players can initially oppose it in collective bargaining until the league sweetens the pot elsewhere. The NFLPA has done little or nothing for player safety issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Actually every safety initiative in the NFL has been spearheaded by the league offices. The players association refuses to champion safety. The reason is that the NFLPA wants the league to bring safety to the bargaining table so that the players can initially oppose it in collective bargaining until the league sweetens the pot elsewhere. The NFLPA has done little or nothing for player safety issues. I wasn't thinking of it as a player safety issue. I was thinking of it as a legal one. A baseline brain scan before NFL play and one after is probably not something the NFL lawyers would like to see for every player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I wasn't thinking of it as a player safety issue. I was thinking of it as a legal one. A baseline brain scan before NFL play and one after is probably not something the NFL lawyers would like to see for every player. The teams actually conducts baseline testing for players entering the league. It is mandated by the NFL. But regardless, the NFLPA to my knowledge has not championed any cause that would protect the health of the players, with the possible exception of limiting the practice and training camp schedules. "All NFL players are administered baseline concussion tests when they report to training camp, and periodically during the season, as a point of reference." Read more:Broncos: NFL, players change their ways in dealing with concussions - The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_22107927/nfl-players-change-their-ways-dealing-concussions#ixzz2JHObbKSb Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsWatch Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 The teams actually conducts baseline testing for players entering the league. It is mandated by the NFL. But regardless, the NFLPA to my knowledge has not championed any cause that would protect the health of the players, with the possible exception of limiting the practice and training camp schedules. And it is questionable whether limiting practice and training camp schedules actual protects players. Players learn to protect themselves via practices and coaches adjusting their form, learning to tackle properly, etc. The only reason I see for NLFPA to limit practices is because they want to limit number of games 'not paid'. If NFL came back with offer to pay full amount per game for preseason games the NFLPA would jump all over it so it is about money not safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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