Bear's safety Conte thinks NFL worth the risk

He says that at 25. Let's see how he feels when he's 50.

KontradictioN said:

He says that at 25. Let's see how he feels when he's 50.

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Considering with the kind of money some of these guys make, they can just hire a full time assistant to remember stuff for them, while they swim in pools of money.

Interesting. Chris Conte's grandfather was actor Richard Conte. His most notable role was Don Barzini in "The Godfather".

In terms of what Chris Conte said. I dunna know. Could be blind youth talking and the lack of perspective that he has 60 or 70 more years of living to do and football is only a small part of life. Could be that he has a firm belief that he was meant to play football and is scared that he can't do anything else with his life. Who knows.

KontradictioN said:

He says that at 25. Let's see how he feels when he's 50.

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Awareness of one's own mortality is a commodity that accumulates with age. As a general rule, the younger you are the more invincible you feel.

At 25, you think living to 60 or 70 is forever. When you are 40 or 50, you realize that if you die in your 60s or early 70s, it is way too young.

chasa said:

Considering with the kind of money some of these guys make, they can just hire a full time assistant to remember stuff for them, while they swim in pools of money.

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Money isn't a substitute for quality of life. I'm sure Junior Seau would have traded most of the money he made over his career for another 40 years of life.

Also notable is that we still don't have full evidence about concussions. While what's out there is already pretty damning, the NFL got to hide away a lot of their own evidence as part of the former player settlement, for instance.

primetime said:

Money isn't a substitute for quality of life. I'm sure Junior Seau would have traded most of the money he made over his career for another 40 years of life.

Also notable is that we still don't have full evidence about concussions. While what's out there is already pretty damning, the NFL got to hide away a lot of their own evidence as part of the former player settlement, for instance.

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I think we can say without a doubt that Seau wouldn't make that trade.

Lots of people have jobs that are risky that shorten their life "on average," or otherwise effect the quality.

Yes, at 60 they may feel different, but you can't revoke consent 30 years later. These people are adults, and can make adult decisions. It isn't anyone's responsibility to ensure NFL players make so called correct choices about their lives.

For those who have played sports at a high level, i agree with Conte 100%

primetime said:

Money isn't a substitute for quality of life. I'm sure Junior Seau would have traded most of the money he made over his career for another 40 years of life.

Also notable is that we still don't have full evidence about concussions. While what's out there is already pretty damning, the NFL got to hide away a lot of their own evidence as part of the former player settlement, for instance.

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Excuse me if I don't shed any tears for the NFL players who make millions while he have soldiers that served in our countries army homeless on the street that can't get any medical attention because the government screwed them.

chasa said:

Considering with the kind of money some of these guys make, they can just hire a full time assistant to remember stuff for them, while they swim in pools of money.

Excuse me if I don't shed any tears for the NFL players who make millions while he have soldiers that served in our countries army homeless on the street that can't get any medical attention because the government screwed them.

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Chris Conte is on a 4-year, $2.6 million contract. If he manages to save $2m of that and gets a 5% return on his investment, that gives him an income of $100,000 a year. And that's ignoring tax.

Of course, some guys make much more -- perhaps Conte will if he makes it as far as another contract, which is by no means sure, given his concussion history -- but you shouldn't think that the average NFL player comes out "swimming in pools of money".

Mike the Brit said:

Chris Conte is on a 4-year, $2.6 million contract. If he manages to save $2m of that and gets a 5% return on his investment, that gives him an income of $100,000 a year. And that's ignoring tax.

Of course, some guys make much more -- perhaps Conte will if he makes it as far as another contract, which is by no means sure, given his concussion history -- but you shouldn't think that the average NFL player comes out "swimming in pools of money".

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Compared to the average american 2.6 million dollars in 4 years is an INCREDIBLE amount of money

Rob0729 said:

At 25, you think living to 60 or 70 is forever. When you are 40 or 50, you realize that if you die in your 60s or early 70s, it is way too young.

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I'm in my mid 40s and certainly don't feel that way. I'm fine with not reaching the crap your pants, not recognizing your family years. I think far too many people fall into the trap that they should avoid risks so they can live as long as they can.

chasa said:

Excuse me if I don't shed any tears for the NFL players who make millions while he have soldiers that served in our countries army homeless on the street that can't get any medical attention because the government screwed them.

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This is a perfect example of what is known as false equivalence.

robertweathers said:

Interesting. Chris Conte's grandfather was actor Richard Conte. His most notable role was Don Barzini in "The Godfather".

In terms of what Chris Conte said. I dunna know. Could be blind youth talking and the lack of perspective that he has 60 or 70 more years of living to do and football is only a small part of life. Could be that he has a firm belief that he was meant to play football and is scared that he can't do anything else with his life. Who knows.

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"Was it Barzini or Tattalglia?"
"It was Barzini."

chasa said:

Compared to the average american 2.6 million dollars in 4 years is an INCREDIBLE amount of money

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But just averaging the salary you make playing over the years you play isn't the point. You started off talking about how players would have enough money to compensate them for their brain damage in later life and I gave some numbers about what it might look like in practice (actually, very optimistic ones, since I ignored the tax on the original income). It came out to an income of $100,000 (again on an optimistic assumption about investment return). According to the article below, $100,000 a year is "no big deal any more". It puts you into the top 20% of American households, but way, way below the 1%.

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/100-000-income-no-big-deal-anymore-1.aspx

chasa said:

Considering with the kind of money some of these guys make, they can just hire a full time assistant to remember stuff for them, while they swim in pools of money.

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Most of the people I know who have come to swim in pools of money have found it to be far less than advertised. Give me basic health and quality of life every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

BSR said:

I'm in my mid 40s and certainly don't feel that way. I'm fine with not reaching the crap your pants, not recognizing your family years. I think far too many people fall into the trap that they should avoid risks so they can live as long as they can.

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Yeah, but by the time you are 70/80 it won't be the crap your pants, not recognizing your family years. My father is 75 and he is pretty active and has no more dementia than he had when he was 40 (granted he has been insane my whole life so it is hard to tell). The 40 something generation will likely have active lives into their 80s and 90s.

And the thing is with all these violent hits the NFL players take, most of them don't avoid the crap your pants, not recognize your family years. Those years just come to them in their 40s and 50s, sometimes 30s. Ask guys like Kevin Turner and Wayne Chrebet if they would trade the football life for an extra 10-15 years of life.

I remember seeing Steve Young down in N'Orleans for the first Belichick/Brady Super Bowl and he was walking like a 90 year old man. I can only imagine what he looks like and what he is going through 15 years later.

The trade off for most NFL players isn't usually that they avoid having their bodies break down before they die, but they die younger. They die younger because their bodies break down sooner than the average person and they usually deal with a lot of medical issues the average person experiences in their senior years in their middle aged years.

Do the thing you love to do
Make millions of dollars doing it, allowing you to live a good life, as long as you don't squander the cash

Hell, we "all" eat, and do, things that cut years off of our lives for a lot less.