Now that the devastating consequences of repeated concussions have been confirmed, some NFL players are not willing to take such serious health risks. Several who’ve suffered head injuries are either retiring early or taking temporary time off to heal. But should they be penalized for doing so?
Researchers at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy found brain deterioration, a condition called CTE, in the brains of “87 out of 91 former NFL players," says The Post and Courier. There's no longer any reasonable doubt that the blows and jolts linebackers absorb on a regular basis are the kind of injuries that result in CTE.
However, even though CTE has been linked to memory problems, depression and even suicide and early death, some, if not all, NFL teams require that players return bonus money or impose other penalties if they retire or need time off after head injuries
After suffering a grade 3 concussion during practice, Green Bay Packer Adian Coxson announced he would retire early, explaining to ThinkProgress and other news sources that his health is “more important than football." A few months earlier, two 49er star linebackers, Patrick Willis and Chris Borland, also chose quality of life over football fame and fortune.
NBC’s Pro Football Talk says the 49ers will require Borland to pay back ¾ of his signing bonus, and a Packers Blog suggests Coxson may have been unfairly penalized for failing to show for practice after his head injury.
Sign this petition if you agree it’s unfair for the NFL to penalize players who suffer head injuries on the job.
We, the undersigned, agree that it’s unfair to penalize players who suffer head injuries while on the job.
ThinkProgress reports that Borland has been “very outspoken” regarding his concerns about brain damage and the violent nature of the game of football. In his reported comments to ESPN, Borland puts this issue in its place by comparing playing football to war. Explaining that he has two brothers in the Army, Borland makes the point that suffering a brain injury over an important cause is one thing, while football is “a game” an “elective…It’s make-believe. And to think that people have brain damage from some made-up game. The meaninglessness of it, you draw the line at brain damage.”
But of course, to the NFL, it’s more than a game; it’s money - big money. Perhaps eventually the NFL will find making the game safer more profitable than not. Or perhaps, as The Post and Courier reports, scientists studying brain damage from repeated blows or jolts to the head will find a medicine to prevent the damage from occurring.
But until then players who have the right and good sense to take time to heal after suffering a brain injury, including multiple mild concussions, should not suffer further injury by being penalized for trying to protect their health.
We request that the NFL stop penalizing players who need time off after suffering brain injuries on the job.
Thanks for your time.
