Matt Light On Latest NFL Lawsuit: 'Not Sure [Suing] Is The Best Way To Go About It'
BOSTON (CBS) - Former Patriot Matt Light joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich show Wednesday morning to talk about a number of different topics, including the newest lawsuit waged against the NFL.
On Tuesday, a group of more than 600 former NFL players filed a lawsuit alleging that the league illegally supplied them with unprescribed narcotics and other painkillers for their injuries to quicken the rehab time, allowing for a speedy return to the playing field.
The suit claims, similarly to the concussion lawsuit, that the team doctors and staff did not warn the players about the potential side effects, which has led to numerous medical complications now that their playing days are over.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said yesterday that the league lawyers have not yet had a chance to look over the lawsuit and didn't have much else to say on the matter.
By all indications Matt Light has adjusted well to retirement. He helped a group of friends launch a vodka company, hosts cornhole tournaments for charity, and appears to have no adverse side effects from a 10-year career in the league.
As a former player rep for the NFLPA, Light understands what some of these former players are going through, and knows what lies ahead for guys currently in the league. However, he's not necessarily on board with this latest lawsuit and he explained why Wednesday morning.
"I have a hard time with it. ... It's a sensitive subject. There's plenty of people out there in the world, not just in the game of football, that have had things happen that could have possibly been prevented and definitely more information could have been shared on them.
"I look at this situation like some of the other things that have happened from former players, and I just have to say to myself, 'If I'm working in a coal mine and I get black lung, is it that much of a shock? Did I not know what I was getting myself into?' It sounds a little cruel on one hand, but on the other, there are people that chase things that aren't necessarily right.
"I know there's guys that are suffering. I know there's guys that have been through things. But is this necessarily the right way of going about it? There's a lot that's been set up on both sides, from the NFL and NFLPA, to help former players that are in need and need some help. I'm not one hundred percent sure that a lawsuit is the best way to go about effectively changing a certain situation. That's kind of my take on it."
Listen below for the full discussion, including Light's take on the Patriots drafting Jimmy Garoppolo, Tom Brady's window, expanding the playoffs and much more:
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