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Junior Seau’s death should force fans to ask uncomfortable questions
The Washington Post ^ | May 12, 2012 | Jason Reid

Posted on 05/13/2012 2:37:42 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican

With each bone-breaking, head-injuring hit, NFL players are killing themselves slowly. It’s not a possibility. It’s a fact, no less certain than the league’s immense profitability.

Football injuries can kill in a variety of ways. One particularly tragic way might be by making life unbearable for the afflicted. And autopsies have revealed that several former players who committed suicide suffered from brain trauma caused by repeated blows to the head.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: braintrauma; football
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1 posted on 05/13/2012 2:37:51 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: MinorityRepublican

We must annihilate every shred of traditional American life.


2 posted on 05/13/2012 2:44:56 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Do I really need a sarcasm tag? Seriously? You're that dense?)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Obviously, the only safe sport is curling. ;-)


3 posted on 05/13/2012 2:47:59 PM PDT by Average Al (Forbidden fruit leads to many jams.)
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To: MinorityRepublican

I would be curious as to the ratio of suicides of NFL players versus the general population.


4 posted on 05/13/2012 2:48:40 PM PDT by AmonAmarth (Wherever you go...There you are)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I bet the NFL will be around a lot longer than the Washington Compost.


5 posted on 05/13/2012 2:49:28 PM PDT by Perdogg
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To: MinorityRepublican

Why is the onus on the fans??? Maybe players should ask themselves the uncomfortable questions of, “when is it time to hang them up”???? The more i see these types of commentaries the more respect i have for the likes of Al Toon, Jacob Bell and even Hines Ward- players who knew when it was time to say goodbye and walk away from pro-football rather then lengthen a career and increase the possibility of permanent damage....


6 posted on 05/13/2012 2:50:50 PM PDT by God luvs America (63.5million pay no federal income tax then vote demoKrat)
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To: MinorityRepublican

NASA
The Boy Scouts
The Armed Forces
Professional Football

Slowly castrating them all!


7 posted on 05/13/2012 2:54:41 PM PDT by servo1969
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To: MinorityRepublican

Sounds like a series of “I don’t know”s.


8 posted on 05/13/2012 2:59:32 PM PDT by count-your-change (You don't have to be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: MinorityRepublican
I really think the suicidal tendencies, including descent into drug use, have more to do with the “loss of the game”.

The money, the fame, the camaraderie.

Lots of professions cause long term damage to health. The NFL has changed the rules to minimize injury. Heck, look at Joe Namath vs Troy Aikman.

9 posted on 05/13/2012 3:03:10 PM PDT by berdie
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To: MinorityRepublican

I bet this pansy never played football. I did. Wide receiver. I’ve been hit so hard that I was unconscious before I hit the ground. But didn’t drop the ball.

After 5 minutes, I wanted to be put back in. And was. I knew there would be pain and long term damage. It’s called a choice. Aka Freedom.

And that was for free.

Choices have consequences. As free people, we measure the bad and the good and choose. Idiots such as the author want to deprive us of that.

To him I say GTH.


10 posted on 05/13/2012 3:04:35 PM PDT by piytar (The predator-class is furious that their prey are shooting back.)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Have them wear leather - the way the game is supposed to be played.


11 posted on 05/13/2012 3:09:51 PM PDT by Libloather (The epitome of civility.)
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To: piytar

It may turn out that it isn’t necessarily the hard hits that are the problem, but just a lot of small hits over many plays that do the damage.


12 posted on 05/13/2012 3:10:08 PM PDT by dfwgator (Don't wake up in a roadside ditch. Get rid of Romney.)
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To: servo1969

Not very popular occupations/hobbies/games for gay men are they?

If they (they being the Homosexual Community) don’t like it, or can’t win awards for it, or control it, they try and destroy it...

or so it seems to me.

The ‘War on Men’ continues...(real men that is) also known as the ‘War on Breeders’...


13 posted on 05/13/2012 3:10:46 PM PDT by homegroan (Veni, Vedi, Velcro....since 1998)
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To: MinorityRepublican

One thing I will say is that today, tackling technique is horrendous. The game now emphasizes brute strength and force over technique.


14 posted on 05/13/2012 3:11:48 PM PDT by dfwgator (Don't wake up in a roadside ditch. Get rid of Romney.)
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To: Libloather

I’ve heard that the old leather helmets provided good protection. Today’s hard shell helmets can be used as battering rams.

Another factor is that the players have bulked up so much in recent years. Years ago, 300 pound players were rare. Now there are huge numbers of such players.

There’s a big difference between being hit by a 220 pound player and a 320 player. The laws of physics are involved. Force = mass x acceleration.


15 posted on 05/13/2012 3:13:55 PM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: dfwgator

I believe I read just that critique from an older player that opined that tackling technique had gone down the tubes. Too much emphasis on hits and tackling high.


16 posted on 05/13/2012 3:14:52 PM PDT by doorgunner69
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To: MinorityRepublican

How does anyone know that playing football led to his suicide?


17 posted on 05/13/2012 3:14:58 PM PDT by InvisibleChurch (I am the margin of error.)
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Just as in boxing you would never allow a 200+ lb fighter fight against a 140 pound fighter...perhaps the NFL does need to look at weight restrictions.


18 posted on 05/13/2012 3:15:56 PM PDT by dfwgator (Don't wake up in a roadside ditch. Get rid of Romney.)
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To: MinorityRepublican
I agree with the Washington Post, but this does not go far enough — ALL sports programs of any kind whether amateur, semipro, or pro are just too dangerous for civilized people. They must be banned and all participants fired (if employed in them) or forcefully discouraged. Anyone who will not obey, will be summarily executed. By order of Barry Obama I, Emperor.
19 posted on 05/13/2012 3:17:19 PM PDT by MasterGunner01 (11)
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To: MinorityRepublican
I agree with the Washington Post, but this does not go far enough — ALL sports programs of any kind whether amateur, semipro, or pro are just too dangerous for civilized people. They must be banned and all participants fired (if employed in them) or forcefully discouraged. Anyone who will not obey, will be summarily executed. By order of Barry Obama I, Emperor.
20 posted on 05/13/2012 3:17:39 PM PDT by MasterGunner01 (11)
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