The National Football League received some good news this week, as it looks like the league’s lockout of players will end before preseason camps begin.
While that is news in which fans and NFL employees can rejoice, ex-players put a damper a on the celebration.
Mark Duper, Ottis Anderson and 73 other former players sued the National Football League, claiming it concealed information about the danger of concussions for decades, according to published reports.
The negligence, fraud and liability suit was filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. Many players’ wives are also plaintiffs.
The suit alleges the NFL knew as early as the 1920s of the harmful effects of concussions but concealed them from coaches, trainers, players and the public until June 2010. It also names helmet-maker Riddell, the NFL’s official helmet supplier.
This lawsuit does more than bring to light the dangers of this sport, it also uncovers a perceived lack of concern the NFL and its owners have for their players.
As the billionaire owners battled with the millionaire players during the nearly four-month-long lockout, most fans and sports pundits focused on the greed of both sides. What they didn’t focus on, however, was the players’ concerns for their own safety on the field and when their playing days end.
Many have heard the stories about former Chicago Bears Super Bowl-winning quarterback Jim McMahon who now has short-term memory loss. He is only in his late 40s.
This is common among former NFL players who often speak about their inability to walk into a room and remember why they entered it in the first place.
The health issues for NFL players, however, go far beyond concussions.
A 1994 study of 7,000 former players by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health found linemen had a 52 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease than the general population. While U.S. life expectancy is 77.6 years, recent studies suggest the average for NFL players is 55 ”“ and 52 for linemen.
While the recent lawsuit focuses on concussions, another dangerous trend in the NFL is players growing to absurd sizes in order to play.
According to a St. Petersburg Times articles, which focused on the extraordinary weight loss of former Tampa Bay Bucs defensive lineman Brad Culpepper, in 1991, only 39 players tipped the scales at 300 or more pounds. By 2005, there were 338 on opening-day rosters and 552 in training camps.
Culpepper himself played at a little more than 300 pounds gorging on whatever he could eat in order to maintain the weight. After his career ended, he lost 30 pounds quickly, and then another 70 by lifting weights and riding a stationary bike.
Fans and owners alike love to see behemoths pound each other on Sundays. As a species, humans like viewing athletes of epic proportions pull off unthinkable acts of athleticism or barbarism on a field. In the United States, these cravings are satisfied by NFL games, much like ancient Romans satisfied their cravings for contest through gladiator matches.
Some fans have dismissed these health risks citing the million-dollar contracts that many of these players have, but to do so is irresponsible and disregards the safety of people in the work place ”“ regardless of whether it’s in on office or on a field.
Our hope is that these issues, through the current lawsuit, will remain relevant once the 2011 NFL season begins and rules will be made to help protect players from the dangers of their professions while allowing them to continue to entertain the masses.
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