NS.. ex-NFL players sue league... It's starting to make sense now (1 Viewer)

[FFT22]

and you don't think the players ignored the risks themselves in favor of lots of money!! To me it just seems ridiculous to think that these players would not think there could be long term effects to repetitive head trauma. Boxers were already shown to have issues at the time these players were playing,

I think they ignored broken bones, severe bruises and permanent musculoskeletal damage. I think they ignored getting their bells rung because they thought it was a short term issue. I think they played with injuries that would reduce most of us to tears.

I hate to be flip, but last time I checked, very few football players are M.D.'s, and vice versa. I don' think they knew they would be 7x more likely than the general populace to get ALS, or that the repeated softer hits they took at practice everyday could cause more long term damage than the James Harrison hits. I don't think they knew that they were running the risk of Traumatic Brain Injury that would forever alter their lives, ruin their relationships with their families and completely change who they are. Call me crazy, but I don't think they would have just ignored those issues.

 

[mcryder]

I think anyone who works any job should sue their former employers when they retire for any ailment they may have...after all that employer paid them, the employee ws able to maybe buys cars and a home, feed the family, put kids thru school...etc. and after all we have to work...well not so many people anymore...let's just all not work...there will still be a few fools working that can give us stuff while we sit on our butts...like the lawyers who will make most of the money...and sue for anything and everything...why not(whew, sarcasim off)

 

[BigA3723]

and you don't think the players ignored the risks themselves in favor of lots of money!! To me it just seems ridiculous to think that these players would not think there could be long term effects to repetitive head trauma. Boxers were already shown to have issues at the time these players were playing,

If information was out there that the NFL knew about and wasn't shared with players, then they are not ignoring ALL the information. You can ignore information you don't know about.

Kinda like smoking, it clearly says on pack it can cause cancer. So people currently smoking are choosing to accept those risks. On the other hand, in 20th century. the cigarette companies knew well ahead of public that smoking led to numerous diseases such as emphysema or lung cancer. So those people early on that wanted to be cool like the Marlboro man and smoke, sure they knew smoking would make them short winded when doing strenuous activities and accepted those type of risks, but if all of them really knew what the true risks where, many would have chosen to not risk it. Further, it comes down to same fact that the companies knew the risks and hid it from public at all costs to avoid hurting their huge earnings.

 

[krushing]

I completely understand the ops point, but I wonder if the law suits are a result of the new rules and the current attemp to change the game. In other words, does the fact the the leage is now having to protect players make a better case for players who played before the rule changes? I'm not sure.

 

[FFT22]

I think anyone who works any job should sue their former employers when they retire for any ailment they may have...after all that employer paid them, the employee ws able to maybe buys cars and a home, feed the family, put kids thru school...etc. and after all we have to work...well not so many people anymore...let's just all not work...there will still be a few fools working that can give us stuff while we sit on our butts...like the lawyers who will make most of the money...and sue for anything and everything...why not(whew, sarcasim off)

I think employers should be able to injure their employees free from any consequences as long as the employees were able to buy houses! (do I even need to do the sarcasm thing?)

 

[bobad]

Comon Man!

its not just about money!

If you are going to make billions on these guys killing their bodies and brains, is it too much to ask to set up a good Health care plan for them so that they can tend to the wounds they will have for the rest of their lives?

If that's your beliefs, maybe you should do the right thing and quit following football.

Reminds me of the story about the killer whale by Larry the Cable Guy. Duh, they give you helmets and pads.

 

[Saints Frenzy]

Money is the driving factor. No, the NFL didn't do enough to protect players and, yes, they developed a culture that forced injured players to go in at the risk of turning a lesser injury that could heal into a dibilitating injury leaving residual effects on their future quality of life. Until now there was not enough financial pressure on the NFL to force the issue. The sports industry is the new target defendant for an army of voracious attorneys and the game is changing. The NFL has no choice but to react to the pressure. People here complain about the new "pansy" rules, but the NFL knows that, if they don't change dramatically, the professional game will not survive. It's one thing to be able to plead ignorance to the harm they were doing because the medical evidence had not yet been developed to support it. (Remember the "smoking gun" evidence in tobacco litigation showing management was aware of and ignored warnings from their own research departments that smoking kills people? I wonder if there are similar documents that would bury the NFL in court.) If the NFL continued their old ways fully aware of the current medical evidence against them, massive punitive damage awards - uninsurable in most states - along with their already huge exposure to compensatory damages, (past, present, future medical care, pain and suffering, lost income, etc.), would wipe them out.

This is no different than the path of industry in general in the United States. A century ago, there was no worker's compensation system and employees could sue their employers for negligence (EDIT: though few did). Profit was the goal and people - including kids - worked long hours in dangerous and unhealthy environments. As the cost of lawsuits rose and the labor movement gained ground, there was enough pressure to force companies to accept worker's compensation plans. The trade-off was that employees under the system relinquished their right to sue their employer. Unsafe work places were still the norm until OSHA got its wings and class action law suits became popular. When the big judgements hit - black lung disease, asbestosis, etc., the insurance industry added heavy pressure from their side for companies to operate more safely - and they cleaned up their acts. In the eighties medical malpractice insurers took a big hit and forced doctors to practice defensive medicine. In the nineties, pharmaceutical and transportation industries went through the same thing as lawyers geared up and went after them. It's the NFL's turn in the barrel.

The game has and is changing. Past players with good cases will be compensated through the judicial system, but what good is money when it takes twenty minutes to put your pants on in the morning or you are left with mush for a brain?

 

[bearze34]

I would say no... People who were exposed to the paint suff did not know and they weren't knowingly inhailing the paint...

think the people who had issues with led based paint or asbestos have a valid claim to damages...

It can be if it is proven that their illness was caused by that material and not simply by using percentages which can be and are flawed. One example was what happened to Dow Chemical because of flawed science pertaining to silicone. Those implants did not cause the maladies that were assigned to them so all those payouts were bogus. The same went for Alar in Washington. That chemical was used on apples and blamed for poisonings resulting in huge settlements and almost the ruination of a major state crop yet was proven to be innocuous. Not everybody that inhaled lead or asbestos got sick so many got payouts based upon association notfacts.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk

 

[Kenna Kid]

I wonder how many of these players were less than honest with those taking care of them in order to get back on the field.



This is what I am thinking. Even today, a good example is Big Ben. He is playing on an injured foot. He knows he is injured and he still goes out there to compete. What's to say he is not making matters worse each game he plays. If he would choose to sue later because of permanent damage to his foot he would probably win. My only beef with these law suits is how many of these guys tried like hell to get back on the field knowing their injury. I really do feel sorry for the players who are suffering today due to the injuries. There are legitimate issues at hand and then there are those who are looking to make an easy dollar.

 

[Sarcastic]

I wonder how many of these players were less than honest with those taking care of them in order to get back on the field.



This is what I am thinking. Even today, a good example is Big Ben. He is playing on an injured foot. He knows he is injured and he still goes out there to compete. What's to say he is not making matters worse each game he plays. If he would choose to sue later because of permanent damage to his foot he would probably win. My only beef with these law suits is how many of these guys tried like hell to get back on the field knowing their injury. I really do feel sorry for the players who are suffering today due to the injuries. There are legitimate issues at hand and then there are those who are looking to make an easy dollar.

It's probably pointless to argue at this point, but it's apples and oranges. Yes, Big Ben knows he is putting his foot at risk when he does what he does.

But until recently, the extent of damage done permanently by concussions was poorly understood. The lawsuits don't say that the players didn't know they were hurting themselves; it says that the NFL knew more than they let on about the permanent damage of cumulative concussions. The players didn't know that ALS, etc could be caused by concussions, the belief was that once you recovered from it you were fine -- the allegation is that the NFL did know more, and didn't do enough to educate and protect the players from that cumulative damage.

The "players didn't know they were at risk from playing football" line is purely a strawman, and adds nothing to the discussion. That's not what they are claiming.

 

[SaintChelle]

I have a huge problem with this. Football is an inherently dangerous sport. Everyone knows this, and these players knew it when they suited up back in high school.

They made a career of it in spite of the risks, and they got paid millions BECAUSE of the risks.

A lot of these former players made bad business decisions with their money in their lives after football. What better way to get a second bite at the million dollar apple than to file suit over the risks of the game they willingly took live a certain lifestyle.

Sorry for the rant, this just chaps me big time. For every NFL player, there are a hundred joe shmo's watching and wishing they could be in that position making that kind of money to play a game. I bet these same guys like to brag to people how much tougher it was back when they were playing given the ticky tack rules and penalties this bs has created.

 

[atceagle]

It's probably pointless to argue at this point, but it's apples and oranges. Yes, Big Ben knows he is putting his foot at risk when he does what he does.

But until recently, the extent of damage done permanently by concussions was poorly understood. The lawsuits don't say that the players didn't know they were hurting themselves; it says that the NFL knew more than they let on about the permanent damage of cumulative concussions. The players didn't know that ALS, etc could be caused by concussions, the belief was that once you recovered from it you were fine -- the allegation is that the NFL did know more, and didn't do enough to educate and protect the players from that cumulative damage.

The "players didn't know they were at risk from playing football" line is purely a strawman, and adds nothing to the discussion. That's not what they are claiming.

How could the NFL know if the medical community itself didn't know?

 

[Sarcastic]

How could the NFL know if the medical community itself didn't know?

That's not what I meant.

The medical community didn't know everything it knows today, but there was some information coming to light.

The players allege that the NFL knew some things and didn't properly act on them. If that's not true...

Also they are saying in part, that although there was certainly a "legal" right in their contracts to get second opinions, sit down because they didn't know which team they were on or what their name was, etc...that they were, nonetheless coerced to play through injuries. (I don't know about THIS suit, but that's a contention in most of them)

Surely everyone here has worked at a job where certain assignments were voluntary, and yet not doing them was considered detrimental to the career? I have, and that's the allegation some players are making.

See Colt McCoy. That guy didn't have a clue what was happening to him. He was staring into space waiting for the huddle. Look at his face during the game, between snaps. He looked more spacey than the most stoned person I've ever seen. He was gone. That player can't be hit with the "personal responsibility" line...the doctors have the responsibility to say "no, sit down" and to tell the coaches the same. And the coaches have a responsibility to listen -- and do what's best for their players in the long term.

At the very least, even if the NFL knew nothing and the players knew what they were getting into, the NFL should be taking better care of its players after they retire. Healthcare coverage should be complete and unlimited. The NFL is without a doubt rich enough to do so, and it wouldn't have been without those players.

 

[FFT22]

How could the NFL know if the medical community itself didn't know?

If what you are saying is accurate, that the medical community was completely in the dark (it wasn't), but even if there was no way to know, then we get to this. So where do you stand on that?

Let's take your hypothesis and discuss.

The medical community did not know about the issues with concussions when these injuries were happening.

Ok, a few questions now:

1. Should they have known? Should the NFL have commissioned studies earlier to protect the players? Does the NFL, as employer, have a duty to protect its workers or a special duty to learn of long term health issues they may face b/c of their employment?

2. Who was in the best position to know? A team with billions of dollars, or a football player who may not have even graduated from college?

3. Even if no duty existed, and the NFL had no reason to perform any proactive investigation, who should pay now? Keep in mind that a player who cannot afford the treatment for his serious injuries is forced to treat at a public hospital, meaning you and I, as taxpayers, pay for his treatment.

So with that in mind, even if the NFL has completely clean hands (it doesn't but just assume for a second), is it better for us to have to take care of him with our tax revenues, or for the league that has made billions on the backs of these players to have to take care of it?

 

[Sarcastic]

Just for clarity, there's a weird glitch in this thread messing with the quotes, I'm not sure how that happened. The above quote wasn't me...I agree with everything in FFT22's post.