Have you ever wondered why there has been such a dramatic increase in concussion-related injuries in the National Football League, and for the most part in all collision sports?
It happens every week, and it happens so often that it doesn't even create urgency anymore. It's like it has become just part of the game. A player gets knocked out, he receives attention, he's taken off the field and the game moves on. I speak for myself and perhaps for others when I say that I am numb to it. It's just not a concern witin the game. It's not that people don't care - they do - but it happens so often that a concussion has lost its emotional impact due to repetition, not due to apathy.
But why? Clinton Portis is out with a concussion, Brian Westbrook is too, and there are many other players that are not high profile who have suffered the same injury. Yes, there is a level of awareness as players age and have more problems. That has been brought to the forefront through documentaries, interviews, and the self-destructive and erratic behaviour of retired players. Everyone that follows sports knows it's a problem.
Parents of young kids playing football have talked to me about the inevitability that eventually their son or daughter may get knocked out. The first question is "how many times is enough?" The second is, "are some worse than others?" The third question is, "how long should someone stay away from football or contact sports if they have suffered a concussion?" It pains me to respond: I don't know.
The sight of a youth or high school football player lying motionless on the field is terrifying. For me, a pro football player, not so much so. I know that sounds callous, but when you see a kid, it's simply a different type of feeling of concern.
I wonder why, in modern football, it seems so prevalent. My theory has nothing to do with the individual player or his equipment. My theory is regarding the training.
When I look back many years ago to my college football days and I think of the bodies and abilities of the guys back then compared to right now, there is no comparison. It's not just that players are bigger, faster and stronger (they are) but they're also more explosive. Players now can generate more energy faster and in a shorter space than ever before. And this is in all positions, which creates more intense collisions.
The way football players (and collision sport athletes) are trained in 2009 is amazing. I believe that the ability to generate explosive power is now greater than the protection that is available to players.
The greatest football player I have ever known in my life was Randy White, #54 for the Dallas Cowboys. What made White so great? Well, just about everything, but if I could pin it down to one thing, it was his ability to hit so hard within a short distance. It was shocking and mesmerizing how much explosive energy Randy could get together. Trust me, I know this because I practiced with him through four NFL training camps. There were only a few Randy Whites in the NFL back then. Now I see many in several different positions.
Bob Sanders, strong safety for the Indianapolis Colts, can't stay healthy because he hits so hard that his pads can't protect him. The amount of velocity he generates on contact goes through the pad and into his body, which then breaks down. This is not to mention the damage inflicted on his opponent's body.
If you could ever watch during the off-season training program for an NFL team (about mid-June), it's all about explosive movement more than endurance or strength. The movement is what gets the job done. It's why many players train in martial arts and boxing - to be able to maximize that explosive movement many times, leading with the head, disregarding consequences to the most important part of your body.
The other reason for this problem is the money. What would you be willing to sacrifice for financial security? Your health, perhaps? If a player plays five years as a starter in the NFL, he is set for life. Within those five years, he gets to his second contract which, for an NFL starter, means millions of dollars.
Players are smart when it comes to careers. It's more in terms of experiences you have because pro football careers are about three years on average, depending on the position. Many players - not all - know that it's more days and months than years when you think in terms of time in the NFL. Days and months to make money - a lot of money. And you can warp the mind - it can make you do crazy things like sacrifice your body and your health for one more year of football and one more year of that money.
I know that debilitating injuries are not exclusive to NFL football, but no team sport has more collision contact more consistently and with such intensity.
So what is the answer? Pay less money and train in a less-explosive fashion? Not a chance. Ten years from now there will be more money and players will be bigger, stronger and faster yet.
Technology is one answer. If a man can be sent to the moon, then we can develop more resistant equipment in all sports. Money and technological advances go hand-in-hand.
Another issue is respect for one's opponent. If you have a knockout shot, don't take it.
And finally, as crazy as this may sound, what about a weight limit? In boxing, you don't see a heavyweight compete against a lightweight. They heavyweight has too much power and would destroy the smaller boxer - it's a basic law of physics.
Last Monday night, Shaun Rogers and a Cleveland defensive back went for a tackle. Rogers is 340 pounds and was going top speed. The defensive back, 185 pounds, was also at top speed. Both of them missed their target and ended up hitting each other. Rogers got up fast, while the defensive back looked like he was knocked out by his own guy.
I know it sounds crazy, but a weight limit in football is good for the health and safety of the players. Being too heavy is not healthy and society needs to recognize and act on that fact, myself included.
Injuries are a part of sports - they always will be. But it's good to make that extra effort to limit the injuries. There is a lot of life left over after football, no matter what age you leave the game at. But the important issue is the quality of life. For some, it simply doesn't exist. For others, maybe.
We need to strive to find the answers so the possibility of quality of life after football is always a "yes".