NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell met with the House Judiciary Committee to defend the league's policies on head injuries, such as concussions, October 28. Goodell also denied correlations made between these injuries and further complications of the brain that are often associated with dementia.
There is obviously a vast amount of scientific evidence that supports the thought that this the physical nature does eventually cause these type of diseases in its participants. The very fact that Goodell is making the contention former players having diseases of the brain, such as Alzheimer's, is nothing more than coincidental. Exhibit A: Long time defensive back in the NFL, Andre Waters, who's autopsy revealed he had the brain of an 85-year-old with Alzheimer's after Waters, at the age of 44, committed suicide.
My major problem with the NFL is the league's constant failure (or refusal) to take care of its players both during and after their playing days. There are two contributing factors to these concussions leading to subsequent dementia. The first is the fact that NFL contracts for the average player are not guaranteed.
The only league of the big three that franchises can cut ties with is not just a contact sport, it is a collision sport. Players fear being absent from the playing field because of the possibility of their team releasing them for a healthy alternative. Even though the NFL is not seriously addressing these problems, this is the biggest problem because a player who does not have a major contract filled with guaranteed money fears being cut, thus leading to these mid-to-low level players trying to come back to the playing field to ensure a steady income, despite serious injuries. For cases like Andre Waters to stop, the NFL will have to begin guaranteeing contracts on a regular basis.
The second, and possibly more important solution, is the NFL needs to begin a more aggressive medical screening process for its players. If the NFL can articulate an intricate plan to keep its players safe by enforcing militant physical examinations that include MRI's of joint ligaments, x-rays, CT scans of the brain, etc. then they will be able to give its players a much more fulfilling livelihood after their playing days are done.
However, without full cooperation of a commissioner, who seemingly has taken a stance for the owners and against the players of the NFL, there will never be a sure way to ensure the safety of its most important and profitable employees post-retirement.
