Turning the floor over to the Users. Whatever is on your mind. Free form blogging, ranting, raving, hating, etc.
The best rants will be promoted by Walt so do take time to at least spell check.
Soon after I turned 8, Troy Aikman was concussed, and his career was over. A few years later, the same thing happened to Steve Young. Now, I don't remember how developed my medical knowledge was at the time, but I certainly understood that brain injuries were related to brain damage (I should have applied to Harvard Med that day). What gets me is that some people think the NFL has committed some atrocity here. Doesn't the NFL mandate helmets?
The only thing worse than the public acting outraged at the fact that hits to a body part can damage that body part, is when Bruce Arians and Jerry Jones continue to cover it up. Jones says "there's no research, there's no data," while Arians thinks that insulting potential customers in the way to go by calling parents who decide not to let their kids play football "fools".
Arians and Jones are the NFL version of global warming deniers. They don't understand that admitting a thing exists doesn't mean we have to take measures to stop it. Just as the GOP would have a better case if they said "yeah, but taxing everyone another 10 percent would leave too many people without food," the NFL would be better off saying that if they took away hitting, noone would watch, and the game wouldn't exist.
I, however am a problem solver, and have a solution to the NFL's "problem". I'm willing to sell this idea to the NFL for 10% of Goodell's annual salary. Goodell should release the following statement:
For years, it appears as though the NFL covered up the fact that playing football can cause brain damage. I, like many of you are shocked by this revelation, because I did not know it was possible to trick people into believing the following things:
1. Repeatedly hitting your head could not cause brain damage.
2. A sport that mandates helmets had no risk of brain damage.
3. Concussions, which are defined as brain injuries, could not cause brain damage.
I had more respect for the general population, and for that, I apologize.
While I cannot do anything about the apparent failure of this nation to teach you such obvious facts like concussions cause brain damage, drinking too much soda can cause obesity, or, my personal favorite, water births have a higher rate of drowning than non-water births, I can correct the one problem the NFL can solve.
First, I will no longer pander to the biggest idiots on earth, and I will tell you the truth. Football is a violent game where the risk of injury is high. To counteract this risk, we pay our employees a very high amount. Our employees, who shall henceforth be called "adults", make the choice to accept this risk in return for their salary. If you want to let your kid play football because you don't think the risk is worth the reward, that's your call, but stop acting like it is a fair comparison to a lineman making millions of dollars per year.
Second, the NFL has not done enough to allow for medical treatment of retired players. Since we could never have accounted for future medical costs or the extent of concussions' effects on the brain, we never planned on the costs of future health care. Starting today, the NFL will institute the following:
1. An interest bearing account will be started with a $250 million initial value. This account will receive an additional $50 million per year until it reaches the point where the interest is sufficient to cover mental treatment and medical bills for all retired players.
2. A separate account with an initial value of $250 million dollars will be created to to help offset the needed mental treatment of current players. This account will be kept at the $250 million level.
Now, how will we fund this? By royalties received from our new business partners: Fan Duel and Draft Kings. So keep up that gambling! It saves lives!!!
Now, go back to your couch, drink beer, eat wings, and find something else to whine about. Like how you're out of shape.
Sincerely,
Roger
PS - This message has been sponsored by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.
