Posted on 04/24/2012 7:34:14 AM PDT by Perdogg
Former football star Ray Easterling has become the latest sportsman to kill himself after suffering from depression believed to have been linked to head injuries during his career. The 62-year-old, who police say shot himself at his home in Richmond, Virginia, played for the Atlanta Falcons during the 1970s and later sued the NFL over its handling of concussions. He began showing signs of brain damage 20 years ago with bouts of depression and insomnia.
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The players are not innocents amongst the wolves. Status and money make it seem worth the risk of injury so they suit up and roll the dice.
One of the “gritsblitzers”. This falcon fan got to see him play.
RIP Mr. Easterling.
National Flag-Football League?
Do you really think back then those players knew what was in store for them once their playing days were over?
My question is, how do former Rugby players fare compare to former football players?
I think the padding makes things even worse, players hit harder, thinking that padding gives them protection.
It would be better if they went back to leather helmets.
How does the incidence of depression and early Alzheimer’s in retired NFL players compare to the population at large?
Very sad story. Prayers for his family... they must have gone through a lot.
That is a good question. I would like to know what role, if any, steroids have played.
I believe the problem is the hard shell around the padding. They should redesign the helmets (and shoulder pads) to have big foamy padding over the top of the plastic. This would soften the blows and still provide the rigid protection of the plastic.
It would look funny at first. There would have to be some give and take to not affect movement. But I believe it would really reduce head injuries and not affect how the game should be played.
yep....I think most players knew that there was potential of a future that included bad knees, stiff necks, or other joint ailments. I don’t think most ever thought about brain issues like Alzheimer’s and dementia. One of my best friends and the guy I played next to on the offensive line in college has dementia now in his 30’s. It’s so bad now that he lives at a special facility where he’s the youngest person there by 25-30 years. There’s no proof that football caused it....but he did have multiple concussions.
The problem is that it doesn’t encourage proper tackling technique. Nowadays players want the “SportsCenter Hit”, instead of properly grabbing the waist, then sliding down towards the ankles to make the tackle.
Like a lot of things we used to think “getting your bell rung” was no big deal. Turns out it is a big deal.
We also thought cigarette smoking was OK and driving drunk was something to laugh about.
Whether it’s a worthwhile tradeoff to get the money and other benefits that professional sports affords is a separate question - but it turns out that the brain doesn’t do well when it gets knocked about and banged up.
Follow the money. Every time.
Very sad.
RIP Ray Easterling.
Very sad.
RIP Ray Easterling.
The league brought it on themselves. They’re the ones that released a “study” in the mid 90s that assured players concussions left no lasting negative effects. They lied to the players about their long term health, and now the players they lied to are suing them.
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