From
where I sit it looks like the NFL is again facing facing questions
about the long-term health of it's players...
What
makes this different is that this isn't some offensive lineman. This
isn't a peripheral player, this is Joe Namath. And he's not holding
back. The amount of lasting damage sports can do to the brain and
body is staggering. And now the NFL is having to deal with more
revelations on Super Bowl Sunday. Good. It's something the league
has been running from for a long time. If Namath is having issues, I
would bet at least one of Bob Talamini,
Randy Rasmussen, John Schmitt, Dave Herman or Jeff Richardson does
too. Who are those guys? The Jets offensive line. They were taking
more abuse to keep Namath from getting creamed. For all today's
athletes are well (and over) paid the long-term impacts of sports
like football and hockey aren't well known. It's only in the very
recent past that science is starting to realize the amount of damage
that is done to a body and that it's irreversible. I don't know what
can be done. Better protection? Better training? Eliminating the
'macho' culture? All of the above? Namath is right. The human body
wasn't made to take this level of abuse. Sadly it will be up to the
public to protect athletes from themselves.
At
least that's how I see it...and I sit in the cheap seats.
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