Kaleb applauds Jacob Bell, who just retired from the Bengals to work on reforming NFL safety standards to prevent head injuries.
Jacob Bell, an eight-year veteran offensive lineman, retired yesterday after signing a one-year contract last month with the Bengals. He is the first NFL player to retire from football because of the potential future health consequences, and admits that his retirement was heavily influenced by Junior Seau’s suicide. He is not about to rest on his laurels, however, and wants to use his newfound celebrity to change the culture and rules of the NFL with regard to player safety.
He currently has three ideas: educating rookies about concussions, including brain scans in the NFL combine, and bringing in more psychologists for current and retired players. I for one applaud Bell for having the courage and intelligence to stand by his convictions and try to raise awareness while recognizing the dangers of football. It takes willpower to be the first person start a trend, and Bell seems like a great man for the job. Hopefully more current NFL players will be able to recognize when it is simply not worth it anymore if the rules and equipment don’t change.
Read the full interview with Bell at NFL.com
Photo: AP/Ross D Franklin
The only way to make football safe is to: 1: make it flag; no tackling 2: play no more often than twice a month 3: make 29 the retirement age. Similar rules should apply to other sports as well. Prediction: the NBA WILL be sued for forcing the compressed schedule this year, which has caused unprecedented knee injuries, including career impacting and ending injuries. The body is not designed to withstand the rigors of professional or even most Olympic intensity sports that involve running, jumping, skiing, skating, wrestling, boxing, rowing, and/or throwing beyond the early to mid 20s. Swimming may… Read more »