Do no harm: Who should bear the costs of retired NFL players’ medical bills? (1 Viewer)

[Lurkaholic]

They should set up a fund that pays for health insurance for former players until they are 65. A percentage of all current player salaries should be taken by the union to account for half the costs while the NFL should pay the other half. The fund pays 33% costs for one season played, 66% for two seasons, and 100% for three and above, since that is where they seem to draw their line at veteran status.

 

[renegadewa]

And why not the taxpayers?.....after all, we wanted him to play, we were cheering him all along, until he destroyed his body & health. heck, the gov. is throwing money away left & right.....its about time to do something useful....

You are kidding.....................right??

The NFL wouldn't be the NFL and the owners wouldn't own teams if it wasn't a money making proposition. And why shouldn't the players themselves bear part of the cost? They knew what they were getting into when they signed to play a game that destroys the human body!!

Why is it anyones responsibility to educate these guys on how to live life and put something away for when retirement comes for them at an age when most of us are still and will be breaking our backs for a long time to come??

Drew Brees caught flack for saying it best when he said that bad decisions and a lifestyle that they could not afford is why most of those guys wind up with nothing.

And you think the taxpayers should bear that cost??.....................you're kidding..................right??

 

[St. Geezy]

The problem I always have with these cases is that it completely dismisses any potential liability to the NCAA, high school, or playground leagues. These guys have played football their entire lives, why is the NFL solely at fault?

 

[wizard1183]

Hmmm well let's see... How'd Joe Namath pay for his plastic knees? I guess they'd go that route. But maybe the players union should step in. But at what point is the cut off date?

 

[12Stang]

Price you pay to play , gimme league minimum salary for 8 years and id be retired and gladly pay for my own health coverage. They should have to sign a waiver to play in the NFL accepting the risks of playing football professionally.

 

[jrdbrn]

They should pay their own bills with their own insurance. Just as I do and most Americans.

 

[jrdbrn]

Price you pay to play , gimme league minimum salary for 8 years and id be retired and gladly pay for my own health coverage. They should have to sign a waiver to play in the NFL accepting the risks of playing football professionally.

I'm sure it will get to that point in the near future.

 

[cajunrevenge]

The players union should pay for it. They are the ones responsible for negotiating a contract with the NFL that is in the players best interests. They easily could have asked for medical coverage even for ex players. They were more concerned with getting every cent they could from the owners. If the union says this situation was not foreseeable it really damages the lawsuit against the NFL.

I am all for helping the former players that made less than 1 million in their career. If they made a million bucks then they failed themselves by not saving it. The NFL is in no way obligated to protect the players from their own stupidity.

 

[Alan]

And why not the taxpayers?.....after all, we wanted him to play, we were cheering him all along, until he destroyed his body & health. heck, the gov. is throwing money away left & right.....its about time to do something useful....

What?

Dude I am sure that dropping $100+ on a weekend of football via tickets and concessions ALREADY paid into that "retirement" package.


I seriously need to open a business and charge people twice....

 

[not2rich]

Certainly the owners shouldn't help pay. Those dudes are struggling.

 

[not2rich]

The problem I always have with these cases is that it completely dismisses any potential liability to the NCAA, high school, or playground leagues. These guys have played football their entire lives, why is the NFL solely at fault?

You make a good point, but it loses strength if the evidence shows most damage occurs during pro careers. I don't know if that's actually the case - I'm just pointing out that should be a relevant factor.

Second, playground leagues and high schools aren't making the money the NFL does. The difference in money is like the difference between me and Bill Gates. Greater, even. I wouldn't be opposed to the collegiate system chipping in commensurate with the money a particular program makes from football. But I say the ones making real money off this sport should be the ones paying the expenses.

 

[tak]

Retired NFL players. Known inherent risk. If unknown then the NFL should pay. For example if the helmets were made of asbestos and the players didn't know it.

 

[not2rich]

Retired NFL players. Known inherent risk. If unknown then the NFL should pay. For example if the helmets were made of asbestos and the players didn't know it.

The retired players are claiming that the owners DID know the risks before they did. Surely you don't believe the players knew the risk before the owners did.

 

[StAndrew26]

I knew there's a conservative impulse to tell the players that they're responsible for it. And personal responsibility is an important facet to life. But there's a lot of factors inherent to the system that makes that difficult. Many--if not most--players don't make millions of dollars. Their productive window as players is often short. Incredibly expensive medical costs are a part of almost every player's future--insuring it will make it difficult to use their body to continue to make a living--and, as we're learning, hard to use thier brains, too.

I feel bad about old, broken players. If you want to say they should have been responsible, that's your perogative. But do you want to write to Drew, Jahri, Marques, Cam Jordan, Martez Wilson, or Jimmy Graham and tell them the most responsible decisions they can make for their future (their bodies, certainly) is to stop playing football, ASAP?

 

[tak]

The landscaper who wears his knees out and suffers as he gets older; should he go to every homeowner whose yard he did and demand compensation? No because he already received it.

Don't get me wrong I feel bad for players and the state that the game may have left them in. But we need to understand that there are consequences for the choices we make, plain and simple. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that if you run full speed into other people it will cause damage. They take this risk in pursuit of doing something they enjoy doing with the intention of making some really good money. Unfortunately the trade off for some players is bad on the back end of life. Some chose not to properly manage their finances, had no plan B and/or live a "hard life" off the field. Then they expect everyone else to be responsible for their choices. Now I wouldn't mind donating money to help those that are helping themselves and really need it but to demand that I have to take care of you because of choices you knowingly made is out of line.

I think that this is a small example of a large problem that ails our society: Entitlement and a lack personal responsibility.