Kaleb wonders to what degree we, as Americans, are willing to sacrifice our young men’s lives for the National Football League.
I heard the news of another former NFLer, Junior Seau, dying of what is presumed to be self-inflected gunshot wound yesterday. Immediately my heart sank, because I knew it probably wasn’t an accident. In the past year alone, 3 NFL players with severe brain trauma have shot themselves. Last year, the NYTimes did a Pulitzer-worthy three part series, A Boy Learns To Brawl, on the life of Derek Boogaard, an NHL enforcer for the Rangers, who tragically took his own life at the age of 28 with a combination of painkillers and alcohol. He too, was posthumously diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a degenerative disease caused by repeated blows to the head. Although the NFL has a larger CTE problem, because it appears the only hockey players who suffer CPE are enforcers, whose main job is to fight, that article fundamentally changed my view on CPE.
Something’s gotta give. It’s that simple. Young men are dying in droves, and regardless of how much they are paid, it is not right. We are very literally watching slow gladiatorial matches unfold before our very eyes, and we as the fans, must start paying attention. It’s time to push the NFL to start using some of its huge revenues for research on how to change the game. I don’t mean casual rule amendments; I mean real, empirical studies on what can be done to prevent repeated brain trauma. I for one think that discarding hard shell helmets is a place to start. They offer little protection to the wearer and encourage helmet to helmet hits. Giving players thick foam helmets will discourage players from leading with their heads. And if it becomes obvious that football as a sport is inexorably linked to CPE, its time to think about disbandment of the NFL.
AP photo/Sandy Huffaker
About Kaleb
As the ex wife of an ex NFL guy with CTE, I can tell you this situation is legit and needs to change now. I have had to wrestle guns away from my ex who wanted to kill himself in the same way – a shotgun to the chest. Everytime I read stories like this I get sick to my stomach and re-hash everything that happened to my family.
It frustrates me that these huge corporations namely, the NHL and the NFL are so complacent in making changes and/or taking care of their casualties. Commissioner Bettman has even stated the evidence isn’t conclusive enough to completely ban fighting in the NHL. Are you effing kidding me? (And CTE doesn’t just affect enforcers, that assumption is incorrect.)
Goodman and Bettman are more swayed by the rabid, foaming-at-the mouth fans fueling the fire with dollar bills. Really, not at all unlike a gladiator/colliseum scenario. Disposable boys.
Personal lives of damaged athletes often have similar elements. There are often divorce/relationship issues. Maybe, like me, the wife is afraid for herself and her kids. Perhaps, like me, she has endured his batterings and threats as well as his substance abuse and philandering. Inappropriate relationships, indiscriminate sex and substance abuse are also symptoms of CTE. Then there’s the memory loss, headaches, nausea and severe mood swings that come without warning at any moment.
There’s also depression and constant threat of suicide, which can be triggered by the realization that the guy has done something painful to his family or himself while under the CTE symptoms. The shotgun incident occurred after my husband beat me up and attempted to strangle me. Each incident compounds the next.
Many times family members are in denial. I’ve heard the wife get blamed. “She’s a gold digger. She just wants the payout (if there is any). She egged him on/pushed his buttons. He’s not like that with us, it must be her. ” But think about the proximity the wives have – it’s closer than anyone else. It’s also part of the day to day stress: the bills, kids, house, etc. The wives know.
Or they blame the substance addiction, which is a crutch to dull the pain.
Many times the players themselves are in denial or they hide it. They are so used to being physically fit, capable, adored – heroic even, they get a pass at their infractions. It doesn’t often come to light because they aren’t held accountable. Sometimes, as in my husband, he didn’t even remember what he’d done or said. When the truth comes out, no one knows what to do with it because it’s so shocking – it doesn’t match the man we know and love.
Counseling can help, but if you cannot remember the breakthroughs you had in counseling, how can it stick? It’s a terrifying condition.
In a lot of ways I feel like CTE took my husband and robbed my family of the happily ever after we dreamed about. It’s heartbreaking.
I am a huge sports fan and an athlete myself, but I really feel like hockey and football need to change. It would be nice if fans understood the need for change, but I’m not holding my breath.
My husband didn’t even play pro football very long. He left college early to get there. He gave himself ulcers from the stress of being injured or cut from the team. He kept playing after big hits so he wouldn’t be cut. He still got cut. EVEN WITH THE KNOWLEDGE HE HAS BRAIN DAMAGE, HE MOURNS BEING CUT. The dream of playing on the big field consumed him and spit him out.
Last month, over 100 former NFL players filed a class action suit against the league for concussion related problems they feel the league didn’t do enough about. Finally.
I too, wonder how we can offer our sons to these “gods.” We can’t keep filling them up with the idea that this is the dream life. It isn’t.
Yea… isn’t this why they get paid millions?
Why a select few of them get paid millions.
It’s a tragedy to be sure. And I don’t understand why we, as a culture, have such a blood lust. Anyone who tells you football isn’t really about hurting the other guy with as big a hit as possible is either blind or is being intentionally thick.
Still, as Jr’s girlfriend said, “it’s not like it’s ballet. He knew what he was getting into.” And that goes along with what Jimmy says: “Isn’t this why they get paid millions?” They like the look of all that green but in the long run is it enough? That’s something to think about before one signs a contract.
Also, “Young men dying in droves?” Really? Droves? Kaleb? Statistically speaking that argument is going to be hard to back up. One death is too many. But lets not muddy the water with emotional and inaccurate language. In the end that does less for the point one is trying to make because it simply polarizes people into positions rather than getting them to engage the conversation.
Anyway, my $0.02.
Pilgrim
I don’t think that football is necessarily about hurting people, actually, and I doubt most people do. I used to play full contact football with some of my closest friends, and I never sought to harm them. Saying “they knew what they were getting into” is patently untrue. I’m sure most of these players did not know what CPE was, and if they did, they were mislead into believing that their helmets would protect them. The argument about money is also untrue for several reasons. The average NFL player plays 3 seasons and makes $700,000 a season. That’s less than 1.7 million dollars after taxes, which for an entire lifetime, is no huge sum. I’m not saying that its terrible, but it’s not enough for a lifetime.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_average_salary_of_an_NFL_football_player
Additionally, the idea that its okay to kill people for money is absurd, so I don’t really see a point in arguing this. I used droves on purpose for 2 reasons:
1. The average lifespan of an NFL player is 55 years, 20 years under the national average.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/14477196/nfl-is-killing-its-players-and-league-doesnt-care
2. About 20 current and former NFL players who died young have been diagnosed with CPE. They only began testing for it sporadically ten years ago, and it requires an autopsy, so many families are hesitant to let their players get tested. Still,they found 20 cases.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_traumatic_encephalopathy#American_football
Well Pilgrim, I don’t know the definition of droves but I can think of about 10 dead right off the top of my head and there are plenty of nobody’s out there on the brink like my ex. It’s worse than you think. You might consider educating yourself a little more on the subject so as to be a little less polarizing yourself.
When Jr.’s ex-wife (not girlfriend – you misquoted) mentioned it wasn’t ballet, SHE didn’t necessarily know the long term affects of brain trauma either. Others who didn’t know include the former NFL players are suing the league for concussion related health problems.
I think as we learn more about this situation we have to be more realistic about what we consider a valid American pastime. That’s the most important part.
IF an adult human being decides they want to risk their life for money then it’s their call, but that in no way excuses a system of indoctrination throughout their childhood which lead them to make this decision.
I understand that aerial moves in cheerleading has been banned in many states after some girls were left quatroplegic. Maybe we should consider the same for boys, so that when they become men they’re able to value their own health.
Being a Pats fan, I was really saddened by Junior’s death. I do think things should change though. The NFL needs to take better care of the players. There needs to be more rules in place to help prevent these major brain injuries from turning into CTE. Not taking better care of the players is just inhumane.