I apologize for not reading the entire thread, but I don't have a lot of time and I want to get this off my chest because its bothering me. I HATE this lawsuit. I'm a old guy who has played the game on a lot of levels and coached the game at the HS level. I am VERY well aware of the dangers of concussions and why they occur. I repeat, I HATE this lawsuit.
I think its BS that after all this time players can go back and try and get a crack at the money tree because they are "shocked" to find out that in a collision sport its possible to get a concussion.
I can only relate this to when, in Cassablanca, Louie turns to Rick and say's, "I'm shocked to find out there is Gambling going on in this establishment", and then takes his winnings.
No one got to the NFL without some level of college education. Most get their degrees. No one forced any player to take the huge amount of money they got (relative to the times) to play the game. It's a HAZARDOUS job, folks.... Not everyone can do it......and they get paid accordingly. I doubt that any miner, including those who don't even have a HS diplomas knows that their job is hazardous to their long term health. Its not safe to be a cop, fireman, ironworker, or work on an oil rig.
Its no secret. And neither is the likelihood that if you play a game professionally where you run into one another at high rates of speed, it just might not be good for your health.
But you do it anyway because the relative pay makes it worth the risk. And its not like every football player is going to have debilitating long term health problems, the vast majority never do.
Have we gotten so far away from the concept of PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY that ANY problems we have. MUST be the blame of someone else. Has "its not my fault" replaced "Land of the Free" as the national motto.
I'm fine with doing everything possible to protect players. But nothing can change the laws of physics and having 320lb men who can run sub 5 second 40s, simply means greater collisions. I'd be all for having weight limitations for the game. I'd be all for having equipment changes. I'd be all for having the damned game coached better, because of a lot of injuries occur because of poor techniques, especially in the NFL.
I know I'm rambling now, but it pisses me off that players get hurt every year because their technique in tackling is so poor, Yet at the same time they now limit coaches ability to teach it correctly by limiting contact in practices. That's the players, btw, who lobbied for more limited practices. Instead of fining someone who hits another player with a perfect form tackle with his face in his chest, they should fine the idiot to blindly throws his body at a player with his head down. That would improve technique damned fast I bet.
OK, OK, I know, enough already. I'll stop now, but I worry about how all this will effect the game and I don't like where its headed