On Sports... Seahawks Step Up

First read
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24571643/seahawks-waive-draft-pick-with-heart-issue-still-give-him-100k-bonus

Compared to the bad impression given by league teams in my my last post, it's great to see the Seahawks step up for Garrett Scott. Instead of leaving him high and dry they went ahead and signed him so he could get the bonus at least. And with the team leaving the future open, it's good for him. Let me be clear, I don't know the extent of his heart condition, but even if it's extremely bad, they are staying positive which could help his morale in dealing with his newfound heart condition. I hope and pray that there is a relatively easy solution and that we will see Garrett Scott suit up someday for the Seahawks.

On Sports... Dirty Ball?

Here is some reading:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/prishe/2014/05/21/drugs-information-and-football-assessing-culpability-in-latest-lawsuit-against-nfl/?ss=business

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/nfl/nflers-illegally-given-painkillers-to-mask-injuries-lawsuit-1.2648280

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10958191/nfl-illegally-supplied-risky-painkilling-drugs-former-players-allege-suit

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=10971209

After reading these articles and, in particular, watching Linda Cohn interview Mark Schlereth, I believe there are some bad apples, so to speak, operating in medical matters for some of the NFL organizations. I also personally know at least one NFL team physician whom I trust and I believe would be one that informs the players of the pros and cons of treatment options.

I understand the concept Schlereth spoke of in regards to personal responsibility, but also I am well aware that many people take what they are prescribed by their family doctor with little to no understanding of what they are prescribed. I saw something a long time ago that said people spend more time reviewing their photos at the photo department than they do reviewing their prescriptions in the pharmacy. I've watched this a lot over the years and while it's not always true, it is more often than not. If the average person behaves this way, is it any surprise to see similar behavior in the players?

Schlereth offered a solution to the problem which was to guarantee contracts for the players so the teams would have a longer outlook on the players' health. I propose a second solution to be that the NFL Player Association (NFLPA) take over medical treatment management, while medical treatment costs are still handled by the team. Yet a third option would be for the the NFLPA to run an oversight committee that reviews/audits the teams medical records to ensure that it is all on the up and up.

While it is disheartening & discouraging to hear stories like these from the experiences of players like McMahon, Dent, and Van Horne, it was also encouraging to hear Schlereth's more positive experience in these matters. It drives home the point that while the NFL is comprised of 32 teams, each of those teams has a lot of leeway in how they run their operation.

It's high time the NFL as an organization steps up to address the situation. I hope and pray the NFLPA and good team organizations can work together to force the bad apples to improve.

On Sports.... Football's risks

Whether it's the NFL or NCAA football, there are more and more questions being raised on the safety of the players involved in the sport.

Check out:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/league-of-denial/

and then

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/16/us-football-players-brains-idUSBREA3F1VB20140416

and even more stunning:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10821995/russell-allen-former-member-jacksonville-jaguars-suffered-stroke

&
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2037874-former-jaguars-lb-russell-allen-discusses-playing-through-stroke-in-nfl-game

&

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/jaguars-linebacker-russell-allen-said-he-is-retiring-after-suffering-on-field-stroke-172422209.html

So here's a question, if we find that the sport of football is causing permanent brain damage, what's the next step?

Are we, as a society, willing to give it up? I'm a fan of the sport and I enjoy it. BUT- it's not worth it if it is causing this damage. We cannot, as a society, turn a blind eye to these risks. We need to be aggressive. We need to be looking for more and more answers with bigger and more exhaustive studies, both of active and retired players from all levels ( little league, high school, college and professional). 

It's disturbing on a number of fronts that a player can suffer a stroke from a normal, everyday play. It's disturbing that players don't seem to have adequate time to recover between seasons. It's amazing with what's been found so far that this isn't gaining more traction in the national media. It's seems to be getting swept under the rug. It's reported, and then forgotten.

I hope we don't look back at this time with regret later. I hope we are proactive in protecting these players, whether it be reducing number of plays allowed, number of games in  a season, better (or less) equipment, player size restrictions, or whatever it takes, even up to to banning the sport. Fans' enjoyment of a sport, as well as the NFL's great money making machine, are not more important than the players' health. What if it's a sibling, child, or grandchild playing?  We need to remember and consider it from that perspective when these discussions come up.