NFL Lawsuits over Concussions

[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?