To watch or not to watch?
That’s the question facing many National Football League (NFL) fans as more and more information comes out about ex-players like Jim McMahon having dementia at an early age because of concussions sustained during games.
Last month, the NFL agreed to settle a lawsuit that was filed by more than 4,500 ex-players and family members of deceased ex-players. If the settlement is approved by a judge, the NFL will pay $675 million to compensate ex-players who suffered brain injuries on the football field and another $90 million on medical exams, research and education.
The plaintiffs argued the NFL negligently required them to play with concussions, didn’t adequately treat concussions medically, and hid information it had on the long-term effect of concussions.
The plaintiffs included all-time quarterback sacks leader Bruce Smith, all-time interceptions leader Paul Krause, former all-time receptions leader Art Monk, single-season rushing record holder Eric Dickerson, and numerous Hall of Famers and all-stars, including McMahon, Tony Dorsett, Kenny Stabler, Bob Lilly, Ted Hendricks, John Hannah, Bob Trumpy and suicide victims Junior Seau and Dave Duerson.
Altogether, there are approximately 18,000 ex-NFL players. The settlement would compensate non-plaintiffs who “suffered cognitive injury,” but would not compensate plaintiffs who did not. However, the NFL did not admit that the ex-players’ injuries were caused by football.
The next step is up to fans. We have heard McMahon, Dorsett, non-plaintiff Terry Bradshaw, and others speak publicly about topics such as driving and forgetting where they are and where they’re going. We have heard many ex-players’ wives and children speak about the tragedy of watching middle-aged men behave like elderly men who can’t take care of themselves.
"I always knew that my body would be beat up — you know, my shoulders, my knees, my back, stuff like that — but nobody ever mentioned the head," McMahon, 54, said.
I was such a zealous NFL fan as a kid in the 1970s that I could probably name every starter on the top teams and on a trip to Israel I was constantly looking for American newspapers so I could find out the scores of games I didn’t want to miss. Later, I became a sportswriter.
However, I stopped watching National Hockey League (NHL) games in the 1980s because I was offended by the immorality of referees letting bullies with no hockey skills beat up talented players and penalizing the victim equally. In the late 1990s, I applied my principles to the NFL after I began reading about retired players such as John Mackey having memory problems and being unable to take care of themselves.
I’m such a news addict that I still occasionally watch NFL games, but there have been years when I didn’t watch a single game until the playoffs. The more I read about the NFL’s behavior, the more convinced I am that I shouldn’t watch any games, not even the Super Bowl.
Here is what I read today in the ABA (American Bar Association) Journal -- “Ultimately the NFL publicly admitted in 2007 that it had been studying the effects of brain damage since the early 1990s. But it was not until June 2010, the players maintain, that the league warned them and acknowledged that concussions can cause dementia, encephalopathy, memory loss and related conditions.”
I’m not the only one who has reconsidered watching NFL games. Underneath a column in The New York Times on the subject by William Rhoden are dozens of comments by fans who are, as the article’s headlines states, “at a moral crossroads.”
I think that more fans would reconsider whether they should watch NFL games if they saw a list of the famous ex-players who contend they have suffered brain damage. The plaintiffs include:
Quarterbacks: John Brodie, Jim McMahon, Ken Stabler, Billy Kilmer, Dan Pastorini, Greg Landry, Dave Kreig, Don Strock, Danny White.
Running backs: Tony Dorsett, Eric Dickerson, Leroy Kelly, Ollie Matson II, Greg Pruitt, Ottis Anderson, Fred Taylor, Tony Nathan, Keith Byars.
Receivers: Andre Reed, Art Monk, Harold Jackson, Stanley Morgan, Wesley Walker, Mark Clayton, Mark Duper, Richard Caster, Wes Chandler.
Tight ends: Bob Trumpy, Raymond Chester, Dave Casper, Jimmie Giles, Zeke Mowatt, Billy Joe DuPree.
Offensive linemen: John Hannah, Willie Roaf, Rayfield Wright, Ron Yary, Conrad Dobler, Ed White, Joe DeLamielleure, Joe Jacoby, Bob Kuechenberg.
Kickers: Garo Yepremian, Tom Dempsey, Tony Zendejas.
Defensive linemen: Bruce Smith, Jim Marshall, Chris Doleman, Bob Lilly, Alex Karras, Jethro Pugh, John Randle, Randy White, Simeon Rice.
Linebackers: Junior Seau, Bobby Bell, Ted Hendricks, Lee Roy Jordan, Phil Villapiano, Aundray Bruce, Tommy Nobis, Wayne Walker, Karl Mecklenburg.
Defensive backs: Paul Krause, Lem Barney, Mel Renfro, Raymond Clayborn, Pat Fischer, Irv Cross, Fred Williamson.
Coming Sept. 23: An article on whether kids should play football.
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