Wellness

[sfnative]

On 8/25/2014 sidsmom said:

It's easy for us to judge the old school players.

This is an interesting article about Tony Dorsett during his time w/ a The Dallas Cowboys, America's Team.

He also did an online interview w/ my sports radio station, The Ticket, during a remote...so I was there in person...watching his expressions. The pain he had in his voice & on his face was...numbing & gut-wrenching. If he pulls out of his driveway, he sometimes forgets why he's there. All in an instant. He has anger...frustration...then sadness. He's reduced to a mindset of a child. Yes, he made a lot of money, but sometimes that doesn't matter. No one, repeat, no one enters a new job thinking their new job will result in early on-set dementia. Sad. Very, very sad.

Dallas Cowboys: Tony a Dorsett Is Losing His Mind

I believe NFL staff and players have been in denial for eons about the effects of what might be considered nearly chronic concussive brain injury. Even when I was in college in the late 60s studying kinesiology with assignments to watch this, that and the other sport for physical analysis, I knew then just how brutal football was. AND - injuries to the central nervous system DO NOT HEAL. So...if I could figure this out in 1968, I know it's all been swept under the rug.

Conversely, I have a female friend aged 51 who never played football. She went to work one day and found at one point that she had to do simple subtraction. To her horror, she could not remember how to perform subtraction. After many evals, she was diagnosed with early onset dementia. Today she doesn't know anyone and functions at a low level. So sad.

[gardenman]

I'm not sure how much of the blame for mental health issues in players is solely due to concussions. Head injuries are never a good thing, but it should also be pointed out that recreational drug use/steroid use was rampant in the sixties/seventies and in some locker rooms bowls of uppers and downers were available for players to use. Alcohol use/abuse was also rampant. These are guys who lived fast and hard, and living fast and hard takes a toll on people. Concussions and brain injuries certainly don't help, but I'm not sold on concussions being solely responsible for the issues we're seeing in athletes.

I know a few guys from that era who never played ball, have never had a concussion but who were copious consumers of recreational drugs/alcohol and who have similar, if not worst mental states. I have a strong suspicion that once more studies are done that concussions will be shown to be a contributing factor, but not the whole story. Some people want there to be an easy answer and to blame everything on concussions, but I suspect the real issue is much more complicated than just concussions.

[terrier3]

My son's godfather, who I dated for 3 years, was a linebacker in the NFL and now is a pro team defensive coordinator.

We dated the last two years of his pro career and a year when he was a college coordinator.

After everything he told me about what goes on...I lost all interest in the game. Back then, they all took various kinds of steroids (mid 80s). He even admitted it in a article when he was a pro head coach. They played injured - too frightened to tell the coachs they were having injury issues.

When they were in a pile after tackling someone, they spit, gauged, bit and kicked guys in the kidneys.

It's not much fun up close!

[Mona_L]

The price of a ticket is unfounded. Stopped attending and watching the NFL on TV .... the Super Bowl half-time show is all we viewed the entire season.

[terrier3]

Here is Buffalo the owner of the team just died. He was in his 90s and had decided years ago not to leave the team to his family - his current wife is about 60.

They are selling the team, probably to the highest bidder. We the taxpayers of Erie County just got through renovating the stadium for over 135 million dollars - and this isn't a well off area.

Now they say they will need a new BILLION dollar stadium (along with seat licenses and higher prices)...and may sell and move the team to Toronto anyway.

The greed of the NFL and the owners is beyond comprehension.

It has taken all the fun out of the game for many of us here.

The County Executive said if the choice is a new stadium vs. libraries, roads, bridges, social services for children, etc. - he will gladly say goodbye to the team. That position might cost him his job, but I agree with him.