Scott Garceau: Hard To Ignore, NFL Trouble
Soon stadiums will be packed with jerseys clad fans, the TV ratings will go through the roof and Sundays (Mondays and Thursdays) will be dominated by NFL football. Baseball was our national pastime but football has been America's game for decades.
If you're a fan of the game and love those that play it, you may not want to know what award winning author Jane Levy writes in this detailed story in Grantland.
It's a chilling report on the biggest challenge the NFL and every form of football has ever faced.
It's a comprehensive look at the men who've played the game and the life-changing trauma that's inflicted on them and their families. John Mackey a Hall of Fame Tight End here in Baltimore is among so many that paid the ultimate price to play game he loved.
This week the NFL sued insurance companies that have bailed on the league over this issue. The NFL is a defendant in at least 143 lawsuits by former players and their spouses. The insurers, have refused to defend the NFL in the injury lawsuits, according to the complaint.
The NFL is accused of negligence and failing to inform players of the link between repeated traumatic head impacts and long-term brain injuries, including early onset of Alzheimer's, dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy,
The league accuses the insurers of breach of contract and says it has incurred $5 million in attorneys' fees and other costs to defend against the lawsuits.
Some will say players know what they're getting into when they sign up to play the game. I say research is telling us new things almost daily and it's damning. Should we be surprised that parents and NFL players are saying they don't want their sons playing football. As we continue to learn more about the trauma that football inflicts on the brains of those that play it , can we deny it as we stand to cheer on Sundays?
