I didn’t need any more of a reason to dislike this recent crop of professional athletes. Still, the NFL players have once again taken things to a new level.
On May 3rd it was reported that more than 100 former NFL players filed a federal lawsuit in Atlanta claiming that pro football didn’t properly protect its players from concussions. All totaled, it’s believed that about 1,600 players are currently suing their former employer, the NFL.
Jermaine Wiggins — a former NFL tight end — was on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston this week. He too has joined a suit against the NFL. Yet, at the very same time, he is currently allowing his kids to play youth football. He admits this opening. That is a top-tier hypocritical action. Evidence like this shows that players like Wiggins say the NFL didn’t tell them about something for years, but now that everything is coming out into the open you still refuse to listen.
The players gripe with the league isn’t generally that the game is somehow all of a sudden more violent. In fact, most players say Goodell and company have done a fine job dealing with dangerous plays and hits. The players problem with the NFL is that the league never made them aware of the potential dangerous associated with repeated hits to the head (such as connections to ALS, dementia, etc). Well now you know, guys. We’ve all heard that “knowing is half the battle.” Now we know, and now change waits upon all of our actions. For example; if you believe that a multitude of head shots leads to a potentially difficult life as an elder, then you may reconsider allowing your children to play.
The connections between concussions and these diseases are still in the early stages. The full story is certainly not written at this time. However, the connections are seeming to get very real. It’s quite clear that the NFL players believe in the connections. That’s what these lawsuits tell us.
So how can Jermaine Wiggans — and I’m certain countless other NFL players — allow their own children to play this game? I ask that question as I remind you that these very same players are often the ones bringing litigation upon the NFL.
Uh, guys, if you want these suits to be taken seriously you might want to consider pulling your little ones from their pop warner leagues for at least the time being. At the very least, if the players actually care this deeply about the findings in these studies, we should be hearing about players forcing changes to the processes and structures in place in youth sports. It’s clearly not really about the well-being of the next generation. These actions show that the players are simply looking for more money.
The other thing the lawsuits tell me? These players have no concept of what it truly means to work hard.
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