The NFL Recognizes Brain Damage To Players By Lawrence Gable

Many memories are made in football, but sadly some of the greatest players cannot recall them. The National Football League has been associated with concussions and brain traumas throughout the years, but lately it has been exposed by media and NFL veterans. The league recently “reached a $765 million preliminary settlement with thousands of former players who were suing the league over its treatment of concussions…” (Waldron). Many former players are experiencing the effects of taking hard hits over and over again; they were not properly treated, which makes the injury worse and long term. The concussion issue in the NFL is more prevalent today, because it affects not only the players, but the league as a whole.

These lawsuits represented over 2,000 former players claiming that the NFL didn 't teach them the dangers of a concussion. On August 29, 2013, over a year after the lawsuits were filed, there was an agreement between the NFL and the players; the NFL agreed to pay $765 million to pay for medical examinations, compensation for the concussed athletes, and research towards concussions. Just as the NFL thought the lawsuits were over, on January 14, 2014, the agreement was declined by a federal judge because the judge believed that $765 million was not enough money (“NFL Concussion”). These lawsuits over the issue of concussions prove that the athletes have experienced a multitude of medical issues that resulted from multiple concussions. These former athletes are working hard to ensure that young athletes do not have to suffer like they do.

Over the past several years, the NFL has faced numerous lawsuits involving former NFL players and their families ranging from negligence, fraud, and wrongful death conspiracy from related head traumas suffered while playing professional football. Several studies have shown that there are long-term and devastating effects on football players who consistently experience concussions during regular season play and practice. There is

A concussion is an injury suffered in the brain of an individual that can affect and alter a person’s ability to perform not only mentally, but physically as well. The New York Daily News reported on one of the finest cases of how serious the NFL is taking the issue on concussions, the current lawsuit that reached a “$765 million settlement reached between the two sides, 18,000 concussion suffer and the NFL” which states causes for important untold information the NFL refused to report to players about the prospective dangers concussions had for their long-term health, though this was later shot down by a federal judge claiming that it was insufficient sum. An NFL player may succumb from thousands of hits to the head playing football all

This paper will discuss the NFL Concussion Scandal and analysis of the ethical issues regarding the scandal. American football has always been defined as a contact sport. Individuals know before playing the sport that they take on the risk of physical harm to their bodies. However, concussions and other repetitive head-blows could end in death and permanent damage. Also, American football has been shown to be the cause of chronic traumatic encephalopathy(CTE), which can lead to suicidal thoughts, memory loss, and dementia. With players undergoing a lot of physical harm without the proper care, many may see the NFL as an unethical business.

Player safety has been an issue for the National Football League since the start of the league, but has taken on a greater importance in recent years. Now, when a player is injured after a play, he must sit out for at least one play to allow the team’s trainer to assess his injury and make sure he is fit to return to play. Many say the NFL is very invested in player safety, and the protocols recently introduced have drastically changed the way athletes are assessed and eventually released to return to the field. These changes were necessary in order to protect players from serious injury and long-term health issues. There are many possible reasons the NFL has increased its emphasis on player safety, including, many people are disturbed by the violence of the game, fewer kids are playing football at the youth and high school levels, league sponsors are worried about bad publicity, and there are lawsuits against the NFL dealing with the long-term effects of brain damage. These reasons make many ponder, “Does the NFL really care about player safety, or are they just saving themselves from bad public relations, and the detrimental economic effects that may result from them?”

NFL players have finally gone against the NFL corporation. This specific argument went to court saying that head trauma was never in the professional athlete's settlement. Hurley explains “That the settlement did not cover potential victims of a degenerative brain disease that scientists have linked to repeated blows to the head” (Hurley) Professional players are still not agreeing with the NFL and the rules about the concussions. There have been many professional football players who have brought up the argument of concussions with the NFL and they have not won. Despite that, the court argument with Siegel went in the professional athlete's way. Later on, Siegel announced that "Forty-five hundred players sued the league over concussion-related injuries" ("Concussion Dispute") These athletes that have brought this argument back up having thought this was unfair to them. Through the findings and the explanations about the NFL settlement with their athlete's there should be a change to their settlement to be in more favor of the athlete's life since it is at risk. With these risks at state there are many experts trying to fix these

A great majority of kids and adults football careers are ending shortly because of brain damage and concussions. To this day scientist and people in sports are trying to find a way to decrease the number of brain damage and concussions. There been so many head injuries in the game of football. It got real serious over the past 20 years. In the NFL and College football league, players and coaches can know if someone have a concussion because of the technology they have at the game. It’s mandatory for every team in college, and in the NFL to have doctors and the technology they have at each game they have.

The other side’s argument is false in my opinion, because when looking at the NFL’s recent changes to the league, in response to concussions, there hasn’t been a strong movement to ensure their athletes are taken care of. These athletes who spend an entire career in the NFL playing football, only have limited health insurance for six years after their retirement. As research has shown though, the effects of playing professional football often last throughout a person’s lifetime. Players have worked to try and change this form of treatment, but the league has refused to even consider it. Not to mention, schedule changes over the past few years, have left players more prone to injury due to the need to make more money. There isn’t a direct focus on eliminating an issue that has already ruined so many lives and decreased the popularity of the sport. The NFL has acted weakly, in order to keep fans at bay while trying to grab every dollar that pops up in front of their

It is said that over 3,000 former players are suing the NFL because they were not given all the details about their head injuries. A spokesman for the NFL named Greg Aiello commented, “…that concussions are serious business and need to be treated as such. And that’s why we’ve taken a leadership position to bring awareness, education and best practices to addressing concussions.” With the NFL being around for so long it makes it difficult for people to make a decision on what needs to be done because some believe it is part of the

In the movie “Concussion”, it was based on a true story. Dr Bennet Omalu challenged the NLF by giving them proof and evidence about their player brain. He said “ with helmets or no helmets the game is giving its players brain damage”. The NFL found out about Dr Bennet Omalu research. They was going to do anything in there power to stop him from messing up the NFL. Dr Omalu research suggest that eventually big or small hits in a sport like football will take its toll. There is no equipment that was ever made that can prevent this kind of injury. On the other hand the NFL was doing there on research on concussion. I think if a player have more than three or four concussion they need to be put on the bench or maybe not play football at all.

In the recent years, there have been lawsuits after lawsuits filed against the NFL, after more and more retired football players have been diagnosed with brain damage resulting from concussions during their career.

The NFL is a multi-billion dollar company that has neglected to compensate its past and current employees that have acquired long-term brain damage while performing their jobs. Their incompetence has caused severe brain damage and even death to former employees because of their irresponsible ways over the past forty years. The science and study of this problem has produced a great amount of information that both sides could benefit from but the NFL needs to take action and responsibility.

Over the past 15 years, many football athletes have received some type of brain trauma due to the contact sport. Although many people blame the NFL, I blame the athletes themselves. I feel as each and everyone of the athletes knew what it was when they signed up. With the glory that comes with the game of playing football, comes the consequences right along with them. Consequences such as that, of an injury. Many tend to blame the Nation Football League, but honestly there is a choice on whether or not they want to continue through. Yes, the referees could have called out more breaks. However, the athletes themselves know when enough is enough. According to, “NFL announces $100 million concussion initiatives”, “ Over the years, the NFL has made rule changes, added independent health monitors to spot potential concussions and fined players and teams for not following the league's concussion protocol.” This quote just goes to show that the NFL is in fact trying to prevent this and that they do care about their players. If players aren’t abiding to the changed rules of the game, then I feel like they’re asking for a concussion. Not only did the NFL added new potential concussion spotters , but they also began fining the players but as well as the team itself. The NFL is doing what they can to prevent the concussions that may take place on the

This is very true, the players may have enough to pay for their injuries, but they also have earned that money by playing as hard as they can and when backups are only making a little above the median wage in the U.S. and they can’t afford these huge payments for concussions. The NFL last year made over $10 billion, and that leaves no excuse for the league not to pay for any concussions sustained by over 5,000 retired players who need financial help and the over 1,000 concussions in the past four years alone. The NFL should also reinvest the families of the over 30 players who have died from concussions.The league is now responsible for those players who enter assisted living at 63 instead of 83 and will help provide mental, physical, and emotional care through the monies award to the retired players and their families which is a start, but is not enough to repay the hundreds of others who weren't warned about the long term effects. The NFL should now be responsible for providing “separate relief for medical monitoring, as well as compensation and financial recovery for the long-term/chronic injuries, financial losses, expenses, and intangible losses” (Easterling v. National Football League, 2011, p. 1). “If the NFL for any reason failed to educate players and coaches on concussions and their effects, the league would be able to hide proof due to the legal constraints on the