NFL Lawsuits over Concussions

[markw]

Just discovering the dangers? Really?

It's been known to boxers for years that repeated blows to the head can cause harm. Nobody ever drew thw parallel between them and football players?

Face it, the dangers are well known and have been. That's why they make the big bucks. Everyone knows that they face physical risks and their time in the sport is most likely limited and yet they still willingly jump at the chance to face them, and are handsomely rewarded or their sacrifice.

And, JM, you're right. I've been saying for years that football players are modern form of gladiators. Just like people secretly hope for a fiery crash at a motorcar event and cheer on fights at hockey games, a bit of blood makes some peoples everyday lives seem a bit more enjoyable.

Bread and circuses, bread and circuses...

And, as long as we continue to watch and cheer these events and moreso, pay these people such ridiclous money to willingly subject themselves to such abuse, it'll never change.

[ForeverAutumn]

And, as long as we continue to watch and cheer these events and moreso, pay these people such ridiclous money to willingly subject themselves to such abuse, it'll never change.

This is the truth. Not just on this topic specifically but in the sports and entertainment field in general. I ranted and raved about the hockey lockout last year. How both sides were making so much money that I couldn't have any sympathy for either of them. That the fans needed to send a message by not going to games...but as soon as the lockout ended, there I was wearing my jersey and watching games. I hung my head low in shame, but I still watched with excitement.

And this year the Leafs have raised ticket prices. It serves the fans right.

[ForeverAutumn]

I think that there is a difference between boxers getting repeatedly punched in the head and the concussion injuries that football and hockey players sustain.

I add hockey into the discussion because (a) I know nothing about football and (b) there are several hockey players who have suffered the same injuries and related illnesses that the football lawsuit is based on.

I think that athletes have a right to sue their league for negligence just as any employee has a right to sue their employer. That doesn’t, however, mean that they will win. The onus will be on the players to prove that the league truly was negligent. There is so much new and recent information coming out with regards to these types of brain injuries.

In some respects I agree with Hyfi. I know that smoking causes cancer so I don’t do it. But there was a time when smokers were getting cancer but nobody had yet made the connection of cause and effect.

I suspect this will, in the future, be seen along those lines. Sure concussions hurt and cause temporary problems. But people heal, right? For decades, athletes have healed. After retirement they start to get depressed, do drugs, and eventually maybe even commit suicide. But who would have thought that it was caused by previous injuries? Most people probably thought it was just the after effects of retirement…not being able to play the game they spent their whole lives playing. Or whatever. It’s only recently that we’ve discovered the cause and effect of this. So did the players really know what they were getting into? Did the league know and not tell them?

I don’t think this is as cut and dry as “if it hurts don’t do it”. Athletes are trained to suck it up and deal with the pain. It’s part of the job description.

[markw]

I think that there is a difference between boxers getting repeatedly punched in the head and the concussion injuries that football and hockey players sustain.

Dunno about that. Both entail their brains bouncing off the inside of theirskulls. I think boxers actually suffer the greater risk since their head is the intended target from the get-go and with ball players, it's just an incidental risk since the body is the main target, and they do wear headgear which, unfortunately, cannot protect the brain from hitting up agiinst the inside of the skull upon sharp impact.

I add hockey into the discussion because (a) I know nothing about football and (b) there are several hockey players who have suffered the same injuries and related illnesses that the football lawsuit is based on.

I think that athletes have a right to sue their league for negligence just as any employee has a right to sue their employer. That doesn’t, however, mean that they will win. The onus will be on the players to prove that the league truly was negligent. There is so much new and recent information coming out with regards to these types of brain injuries.

so, should one be sued for something that was done in the past, the dangers od which they weren't aware of until recently?

In some respects I agree with Hyfi. I know that smoking causes cancer so I don’t do it. But there was a time when smokers were getting cancer but nobody had yet made the connection of cause and effect.

See my previous statement.

[QUOTE=ForeverAutumn;396278]I suspect this will, in the future, be seen along those lines. Sure concussions hurt and cause temporary problems. But people heal, right? For decades, athletes have healed. After retirement they start to get depressed, do drugs, and eventually maybe even commit suicide. But who would have thought that it was caused by previous injuries? Most people probably thought it was just the after effects of retirement…not being able to play the game they spent their whole lives playing. Or whatever. It’s only recently that we’ve discovered the cause and effect of this.Again, see my statement two paragraphs above.

So did the players really know what they were getting into? Did the league know and not tell them?

Are you saying the sports doctors were ahead of the rest of the medical profession in these areas and didn't share their knowledge? The players weren't free to see their own doctors?

I don’t think this is as cut and dry as “if it hurts don’t do it”. Athletes are trained to suck it up and deal with the pain. It’s part of the job description.

Well, if they wantto continue to get those fablous paychecks and endoesement dollars, it sure behooves them to, doesn't it?

[markw]

It' time we confronted the real danger of soccer players being taken...

[ForeverAutumn]

Dunno about that. Both entail their brains bouncing off the inside of theirskulls. I think boxers actually suffer the greater risk since their head is the intended target from the get-go and with ball players, it's just an incidental risk since the body is the main target, and they do wear headgear which, unfortunately, cannot protect the brain from hitting up agiinst the inside of the skull upon sharp impact.

I wasn't clear. That's what I meant. Being punched repeatedly in the head would be far worse than occasional concussions.

so, should one be sued for something that was done in the past, the dangers od which they weren't aware of until recently?

Are you saying the sports doctors were ahead of the rest of the medical profession in these areas and didn't share their knowledge? The players weren't free to see their own doctors?

No. Not at all. Again, maybe I wasn't clear. What I was trying to say is that so much of the medical information on this topic is new that the doctors and the league would not have known any better than anyone else the extent of the long-term effects of the injury.

The players have the right to sue the league. But they will have to prove that the league was negligent. I don't think that will happen. If this does go to court, I think the players will lose. But more likely, I think the league will settle. The players, I'm sure, are all just looking for a payoff. Is it right? Personally, I don't think so. Is it within their rights? Yes.

Well, if they wantto continue to get those fablous paychecks and endoesement dollars, it sure behooves them to, doesn't it?

Yes, it does. And if they are going to continue to do it, then I consider their inflated salaries "hazard pay" as it was all part of the job.

[Hyfi]

The info is not so new that the current players do not have the choice to stop risking their health. They do so for the money. And hey, if they get hurt doing it, sue, sue, sue.

We have been reading about these head injuries for a few years yet every rusher leads with his head.

If you took the paycheck down to what we all make, they would not be playing the game and risking injury daily.

And with the info we now have, maybe parents should be thinking twice about the activities the have their kids involved in.

[JohnMichael]

This is the truth. Not just on this topic specifically but in the sports and entertainment field in general. I ranted and raved about the hockey lockout last year. How both sides were making so much money that I couldn't have any sympathy for either of them. That the fans needed to send a message by not going to games...but as soon as the lockout ended, there I was wearing my jersey and watching games. I hung my head low in shame, but I still watched with excitement.

And this year the Leafs have raised ticket prices. It serves the fans right.

Much the same way I worry about dancers in ballets and musicals. Some are injured while performing and those with long careers have joint problems and pain later in life. They give their body for their art and we enjoy them in their prime. We pay to be entertained by the beauty they create but only remember the greats in years to come.