For decades, the National Football League has been known for it spectacular tackles, catches, and Touchdowns. What is not so easily seen by the average spectators is the effect of these amazing physical feats on the league's players. In actuality, these players do not realize they are receiving chronic or terminal injuries. It's the National Football League's job to protect its players from these injuries, but instead, they are more worried about corporate gain than individual safety. Sadly, the National Football League has known about these issues for over two decades, and neglected to remedy the problem. Due to the Leagues ignorance, it has cost the lives of players, ended careers, and destroyed families. Now that the issues of concussion trauma from football related collisions have been brought to light, The National Football League must pay restitution to players and their families through financial and therapeutic means. 

The 2009, the National Football League (NFL) created new regulations on how concussions must be treated. (Schwarz, Alan. N.F.L. Issues New Guidelines on Concussions.) This occurs after the issue of concussions was finally addressed in 2008. (Fainaru-Wada, Mark. League of Denial) A player may be suffering from a contusion of the brain, otherwise known as a concussion, if this player complains of a headache, presents signs of loss of motor skills, blurred vision, loss of memory, stuttered speech, loss of spatial recognition, and/or presents abnormal action after football related trauma. These new regulations state that any player who feels unstable or presents symptoms of a concussion is not only not allowed to return to the game they are currently playing, but depending on the severity of the injury, many be prevented form participating in subsequent games. (Schwarz, Alan. N.F.L. Issues New Guidelines on Concussions.) These regulations were reactions to private investigations by third party organizations because of the sudden deaths of former professional football players employed by the National Football League. (Fainaru-Wada, Mark. League of Denial) These athletes were former Pittsburgh Steeler Mike Webster and former San Diego Charger Junior Seau.  (CBS.news, Junior Seau Degenerative Brain Disease)

When these athletes played in the National Football League, the restrictions on how concussions were treated were much different than that of the rules implemented in 2009. Before the new rules were created, the National Football League was aware of the destruction a concussion can have on a player's mind. During the time that Webster and Seau received these injuries to their brains, concussions were treated like a low-grade sprained ankle. In short, it was considered an uncomfortable, but playable injury. In many instances players would be knocked unconscious and would then return to the same game that they received the concussion during. The NFL found this to be acceptable, because the players showed no symptoms that they were suffering or in pain. However, the case was quite the opposite. Even though the players did not show symptoms of pain or suffering, they did show signs of depression and mood swings. It was said that Junior Seau had mood swing and signs of depression due to the CTE or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which was growing rapidly in his brain. (CBS.news, Junior Seau Degenerative Brain Disease)

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE is a progressively degenerative disease that affects the brains of athletes or others who have had a history of repetitive blows to the head. This disease has been seen in more boxers than other athletes, due to the nature of the sport and the repetitive blows to the brain. However, recent studies have found progressively more and more of this decease in retired collegiate and NFL Football players, who have had a history of repeated head trauma. The blow to the head causes the brain to progressively degenerate the brain tissue. When this happens a protein called tau begins to builds up. The brain can begin to change months, years and even decades after the athlete's career has ended. CTE is associated with confusion, impulse control problems, depression, aggression, memory loss and eventually dementia. (BU.EDU, What is CTE?)  Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a disease that can only be discovered in a person once they are dead. This goes to show that while Mike Webster and Junior Seau were perceived as normal or safe by their coaches and the NFL, they were far from it. (BU.EDU, What is CTE?)  

Currently the NFL has changed it protocols to how they treat a concussion. The Rules dictate that after a concussion has occurred while at practice or in a game, the medical staff must examine the player to decide the severity of the concussion. The medical staff may choose to utilize the NFL Sideline Concussion Assessment. The medical staff would use this to check for symptoms and monitor the player. In the following days of the concussion, the player is monitored in the training room by the medical staff to assess the progress of the player's healing. Before the player can return to the field he must pass a baseline test, pass an examination by a neurologist, including cognitive and balance functions. When the neuropsychological consultant evaluates the player, the data collected is interpreted and then sent back to the team physician. Prior to the player returning to full play, the RTP protocol or Return to Participation Protocol created by the NFL Head, Neck and Spine Committees must be followed. Meaning, if the player has returned to the baseline status, a graduated exercise challenge is imputed. This means that the player will gradually return to practice or play. However, before a player is allowed to return to practice or play, he must first be cleared by the team physician. Once the team physician clears him, an Independent Neurological Consultant must then clear him. The player then may be considered to return to play and practice, if he has returned to baseline status with the proper exertion and rest, also has received repeated neurological testing by the Neurological team which is evaluated by the Independent Neurological consultant who has returned him to baseline status, and has fully completed the Return to Participation Protocol (RTP Protocol). 

The National Football League changed these rules in light of the terrible scrutiny that they received once ESPN released its article on how the League had treated concussions in the past. (Fainaru-Wada, Mark. League of Denial) What people had not known was that the NFL had been paying off ex-players and Families of ex-players, who received serious concussions in the past that are drastically affecting them now. They paid them this money to keep the issue quite from the press. However, now that the players who received these injuries are starting to have serious health issue, they and their families are speaking out. The ex-players and Families of these players should receive compensation from the National Football League. Not just financially but emotionally. 

These players sacrificed their bodies, minds and souls for the NFL and for them to be treated this way is unethical. This is unethical because all human should be guaranteed with natural rights. There are many reasons that this should be done. Anyone who has ever played a sport, let alone football, knows that in order to be good at the sport you have to put your whole being into it. These men did this for their whole playing careers, and once they retire they expect to be treated fairly. As a person who sacrificed their body for their employer, through hard work, they should compensated or their efforts and injury. Not as if all they sacrificed was for nothing, but just to make their specific team and the National Football League money. 

I believe that this should be done; by first paying the individual families of those players who have severe damage to their brain, or have died due to their injuries received in the NFL. These issues caused by the National Football League's neglect have created severe emotional and physical damage that must be alleviated punitively. Then they should honor all of these icons by building a memorial for those who are fighting CTE or have other forms of these brain function issues and for those who have died due to their injuries. In addition every year their should be a festival or celebrations for these fallen hero's and their families. The emotional side of this is extremely important. I know that this sounds foolish, but I believe that this will help give closure to the families who have lost their loved ones. The number one thing I believe that these families want is to know that their loved ones where appreciated and did not sacrifice themselves for nothing. 

However, there are individuals out in the world who challenge my argument. In many ways they would disagree with me on how I go about doing this. Many make remarks such as, "these players make millions of dollars to play this sport, so why should the NFL compensate them if they get paid so well?" (Unknown) Others might say, "Why should we protect or help these families of ex-players?"(Unknown) The biggest disagreeable question that I found was, "if they took the money that the NFL gave them to keep the concussion issue quite, how can they be mad at the NFL?" (Unknown) 

As I read these questions they all come back to the idea of the families and players making or taking money from the NFL. In the first Question it asks, "these players make millions of dollars to play this sport, so why should the NFL compensate them, if they get paid so well?"  The NFL should compensate these players due to the amount of sacrifice that these individuals made to their bodies to play the sport that makes the NFL so great. Yes, some of these players did make millions of dollars playing in the NFL, but for many of them they received injuries, not just concussions, that followed them for the rest of their lives. In addition not every player makes the same amount as the next. In the early stages of the game, players would only make a few dollars per game. Presently not every rookie makes millions of dollars and not every player is franchised. When a player is franchised they are given guaranteed money and are usually the highest paid player on the field for their team. The players should be given a flat guarantee, that if they receive a concussion while in a game and cannot play for several weeks or career ends due to this injury, then they should be guaranteed directed financial support. That way franchise veterans and low paid rookies will get the same financial benefits, because in football salaries are not guaranteed.

The second question asks, "Why should we protect or help these families of ex-players?" We should help them because most of these players have lives off the field. Most of them have mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, children of their own. For those who died prematurely due to their injuries, their families carry that burden forever. In Junior Seau's case, he had kids of his own and they had to grow up without their father, due to the NFL's ignorance. Junior's death brought with it the reality that his wife would now have to play both roles as nurturer and breadwinner. Now that she was a single parent she would have to be provide all financial support, instead of it being split between Junior and her. 

The third question asks, "if they took the money that the NFL gave them to keep It quite, how can they be mad at the NFL?" This is an important question because it has a lot of truth it. Yes these families did take the money from the NFL and yes they did keep it quiet for a long time. The reason for this was because they were scared of the repercussions of what would happen if they did speak out against the NFL. For most players they spend their whole career creating their brand. What I mean by this is they spend their career creating a persona around themselves that everyone knows them by. Whether it be that the player is hard working or is lazy, is a legend or is a nobody, each player has a brand that they a remembered by. For most of the players that the NFL was paying, they were household names, which were remembered for their amazing talents. These players were afraid that if they spoke out against the League than the NFL was going to destroy their reputation. Also what the NFL did was illegal in the first place. It is illegal to pay hush money. Whether the players took the money is a moot point. The League never should have put them in this situation to begin with. What the League should have done is take care of its players better than they did. 

It could be asked, "Why does this matter? Yes, these players are dying of brain disease, but why does it matter to me?" this should matter because this is not just a issue with the NFL, it is a human issue. If a large corporation such as the NFL can allow for its employees to be injured and killed with no ramifications, than any organization could get away with this without consequences. This was a problem of the early industrial revolution; society has made progress since then due to the fact that it is illegal now. In a way the National Football League inadvertently killed these men.  At that time players like Mike Webster, Jack lambert, Walter Payton and Junior Seau played, the NFL knew about the effects of concussions, yet they choose to let these men continue to play while the silent killer of CTE slowly crept up on them. These men are all dead now due to injuries they received while playing in the league. For over two decades the NFL covered up the fact that they knew concussions had a direct correlation with brain damage. (Fainaru-Wada, Mark. League of Denial) They choose not to address the issue, because they knew that it would change the opinions of those in and watching the NFL. In an article written by Sean Pendergast called, "Ted Johnson's Choice to Speak Out on NFL Concussions Turned Him Into a Pariah, Until It Turned Out He Was Right," it was said, "the league and its doctors knew about the traumatic, potentially deadly side effects of concussions and painkillers but withheld that information from the players in order to protect the owners' multibillion- dollar golden goose." They were not willing to risk losing money, due to loss of ticket sales, sponsors and investors. Not only id they not want to loose these factors, but they didn't want to loose the geese themselves, like Junior Seau and Walter Payton who through their play produced golden eggs for the NFL. According to an article written by Mark Inabinett called, "How much money did the NFL rake in last year?" the NFL's annual income in 2014 was 7.3 billion dollars. The League then divided the money out among each of the 32 teams and that came out too 226.4 million dollars per team. (Mark Inabinett |. "How Much Money Did the NFL Rake in Last Year?")  The commissioner of the NFL Roger Goodell made 44 million dollars last year. (Let's Count: Guess How Much Money Roger Goodell Made Last Year?) This money can out of the original 7.3 billion split among the teams. The money derived form the NFL itself is taken solely from the player's performance. Roger Goodell depends on the players and he tried to hide the fact he was hurting them. He Metaphorically Bit the Hand that fed him and it came back to hurt his wallet and reputation. The money itself is tied to the players, so they deserve to be taken care of. Without the players there is not NFL.

