When you think of the NFL, what particularly comes to mind? Football, players, celebrities, Sundays, the American sport, and many others are often directly associated with the NFL and the game of football, but one of the most important is often left out of this equation. The most important is injuries, and more importantly, concussions. Concussion is a term that majority of people are familiar with, although they may not be completely aware of the specifics regarding this type of injury. Effects such as memory loss, vision loss, headaches, and fatigue are the typical responses when asked about what the possible effects are, but what many do not know is that with NFL players, it could be much worse. More long term effects are associated with these injuries when they impact both current and retired players, such as depression, anxiety, early-onset Alzheimer’s, and a disease called CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). Wonder why many people don’t take note of these lasting effects? Simply because the NFL does not want anyone to know.  The NFL has yet to take responsibility and own up to the lasting effects playing their game has on their players, and while they have tried to make it seem like they are working to do research through league funded studies, it has been brought to light that they have actually spent much of their time covering up the truth that was found. The NFL not only covered up findings from their own research, choosing the specifics on what to publish so that the full truth was not exposed, but they have also tried to hide the findings from other research done, those of which are not directly associated with the NFL. While some may not see an issue with this, players, whether retired or current, deserve the right to know the truth behind what could happen to them by playing the game, and getting a closer look at the NFL litigations as well as seeing what the actual findings were, could help bring this issue to light and cause a change. 

Imagine this: you’re a rookie in the NFL. You just got drafted to your dream team, and you’re finally getting the chance to live the life you’ve always wanted. It’s your first game, and although you weren’t expecting to, you actually get the chance to play for a set of downs. You’re a linebacker, so you’re big and tough enough to handle whoever and whatever hits you. Second down, you get blindsided by a player coming from the side, and all you remember is waking up on the sidelines with a trainer overtop of you explaining what had just happened. You had gotten a concussion, but were expected to be fine, so you sit back up and take some rest. This is normal for you by now, playing throughout your childhood, college, and now NFL, you were expecting this to happen, so you act like it’s nothing. Fast forward five years. You’re still playing in the NFL, living the dream with the team and the life you always wanted. You’re the starting linebacker now, so you see almost every down (on defense) of every game. You’ve had more concussions of course, about 3 or 4 in the past couple years, but you’ve continued playing, sleeping it off and being back at it the next day like nothing ever happened. Fast forward again to your retirement. You played a full 9 seasons, won a Super Bowl, got selected for the Pro Bowl, lived the actual football players dream, or so you’d think. Over the course of your NFL career, you ended up having around 10 to 15 concussions, some of which you even finished the game that you were playing in while still dealing with the effects. While at the time the trainers had told you that you’d recover and be fine, and that you needed to get better soon enough to get back on the field for the next set of downs or next practice, once you retired you learned the truth behind the matter. The amount of concussions you received over your career was an astounding, but not uncommon, amount. You were told that you would see long term effects of this down the road, and that there’s a possibility that it could effect your speech and memory among other things, and also had the possibility of causing anxiety and depression (although those are seen in extreme circumstances). You’re invited to participate in an NFL concussion study, one not directly associated with the National Football League, but with other retired players, the first of many that are still continuing today. It was designed to show the damaging effects concussions have on players, and to see if there is any kind of treatment that could minimize the effects of these down the road. You participate, going to Los Angeles and Boston to take part, and find that the amount of concussions you received did in fact have an effect on your brain, and that you would have to come back every 3 years to see the progression. Your career in the NFL may be over, but the lasting impact it will have on your life certainly isn’t, and it’s not the lasting impact many would hope for.

This situation may seem extreme and overexaggerated to many, but it is one that is as accurate as it gets. This situation describes Marty Moore, a linebacker for the New England Patriots, a Super Bowl winner, and Mr.Irrelevant. Many people hear about this study, the NFL, the litigations being presented, etc. through media, where the information may or may not be skewed, accurate, or believable. This situation is just another news story to some, but for Marty, it’s the harsh reality of the cost of this dream. No matter how much money he made in the NFL or the amount of opportunities he was given, it does not compare to what he gave to the game, and what he will never get back. 

The studies began back in 1994 as a result of the retirement of two players, Al Toon from the New York Jets and Merrill Hoge from the Chicago Bears, both due to postconcussion syndrome. These two retirements may not seem like a huge deal since neither of these players were considered “big shots” in the league, or key players to their teams success, but it caused NFL commissioner at the time, Paul Tagliabue, to begin to question. As a result, the first study regarding mild TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) was initiated. With the enaction of this study, the commissioner also approved of a committee on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, which was composed of experts that had direct ties to the NFL, along with some who did not. This committee created the definition used in the study of how to categorize a mild traumatic brain injury and what to look for when examining these studies. The committee decided that it was “defined as a traumatically induced alteration in brain function manifested by an alteration of awareness and consciousness, including but not limited to an LOC, a "ding," a sensation of being dazed or stunned, a sensation of "wooziness" or "fogginess," a seizure or amnesic period, and by symptoms commonly associated with postconcussion syndrome, including persistent headaches, vertigo, lightheadedness… (Pellman)”. This definition was used throughout the first set of studies performed directly through, and funded by, the NFL. They used this definition during their studies to determine whether the participants demonstrated symptoms of this manner, and if so, they were then labeled as having a mild, or in some cases severe, TBI. There is some skepticism, however, on whether or not this definition was actually used when examining players, due to the fact that soon after the findings were published, it was found that some of the results had been left out, causing the data to be skewed. 

While the NFL was in charge of initiating as well as funding the very first study on this matter, this was the first time that suspicion arose regarding the full truth behind the results found. Although many were well aware of the presence of the study, no findings were ever published from it in the years following. Later it was brought to the media’s attention, by the professor hired to conduct this research, that the NFL had pulled the plug on his research soon after it had been started due to what was being found. In an article published by SB Nation, a website that is seen as a credible source for anything regarding professional sports, this issue was discussed. Both the actual findings of the research and how the commissioner dealt with them are mentioned, giving readers a look into how the situation should have actually been dealt with. According to the statement released by the NFL after pulling the study, “the NFL reportedly backed out of a $16 million gift to fund a concussion study because it didn’t like the man handling the research (Bien)”. However, after the professor spoke out on the results, it was obvious as to what the real reason was. His study had found that there is a significant amount of damage present in players that had gone through as little as four concussions over their professional career, and the NFL was doing little to nothing to help prevent this from happening and protect the well being of their players, who are in a sense putting their lives and their own health on the line simply for the game. The NFL has the responsibility of protecting its players, who they are in charge of the well being of over the course of their careers, and keeping information from being relayed to them that could involve their own health and well being is not justifiable or right in any sense. 

The issue regarding the plug getting pulled on research by the NFL is one that has been greatly discussed over the time since this issue surfaced. In a CNN news segment titled The Lead with Jake Tapper, the issue of pulling the plug on these studies was more thoroughly discussed by the leader of the segment with the company of Christine Brennan, a sports columnist from USA Today. They touch on two issues, one regarding the NFL pulling the plug and suspected reasons as to why they did that, along with the release of the movie “Concussion” and how that will affect the NFL in either a positive or negative way. On the topic of getting funding pulled, Brennan simply states that the news of that issue is “completely mind boggling” to her. She argues that the plausible reason for this happening is most likely due to the fact that Dr. Robert Stern of Boston University, someone who is known for scrutinizing the NFL in many ways, is the person in charge of leading the studies. The head researcher may be someone who is not the biggest supporter of the NFL in its concussion endeavors, but Brennan feels that with all of the backlash they have received over the past years, they would be better off just to “take the answers [from the study] and own them, and be better for it (Brennan, The Lead with Jake Tapper).” This statement comes from an outside source, someone that has a role in the sports world, but also is not directly associated the league, providing yet another outside perspective. Although it would be beneficial for the league to take ownership for the things they have falsely reported, the NFL refuses to do so, and has continued to cover up research that could 

NFL officials continue to be questioned, and they continue to deny accusations along with that. One of the big time people associated with the National Football League is RogerGoodell, the commissioner. A short clip featuring the present NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, shows him being questioned on this matter, his response being that “we want facts”, and he feels that only NFL mandated studies can provide those, not ones done by researchers such as Dr.Stern or any sources outside of the NFL itself. Goodell states that he does not worry about what they may find, “[he] thinks the facts will help [them] develop better solutions, and that’s why [they’re] advancing medical research (Goodell)”, yet they pulled funding shortly after. This interview emphasizes suspicion when it comes to the league and its suspicious role in these studies. With Goodell stating that only studies done directly through the NFL can be trusted, it makes it seem as though there is something to hide, and when he was directly questioned about the other studies he shuts down the thought of even trusting them. Goodell has always been seen as a sketchy person, especially regarding controversial issue such as this, because it is in almost all situations that he is placing more emphasis on saving himself and other heads of the league before looking out for the safety and well being of the players. The clip from an interview with Goodell is a good first hand example of the point regarding the NFL being a very biased, somewhat sketchy source of information, and one that can’t exactly be fully trusted when it comes to certain issues.

An article by The New York Times discusses this matter in further depth, pulling details from the study that were detrimental to the incorrect findings. One fact they mentioned was that “confidential data obtained by The Times shows that more than 100 diagnosed concussions were omitted from the studies- including stars like quarterback Troy Aikman (Schwarz, Bogdanich, and Williams, “NFL’s Flawed Concussion Research and Ties to the Tobacco Industry).” Although this may not seem like an astounding amount, with only 300 recorded cases taken into account in the study, the 100 that were omitted (for unknown reasons) could have made a large difference in the numbers that came out as the official study. With 100 cases omitted, “the committee then calculated the rates of concussions using the incomplete data, making them appear less frequent than they actually were (Schwarz, Bogdanich, and Williams, “NFL’s Flawed Concussion Research and Ties to the Tobacco Industry)”. When questioned on this detrimental mishap, the NFL’s comments included none that took accountability for their miscalculations, blaming it simply on the fact that not all teams were required to participate. Although this may seem like a valid excuse to some, many others believe that this was their attempt at covering up what could have effected the league in a very major way, and now it is starting to.

Some may believe that the cause of injuries such as concussions are just due to the nature of the game of football, and how it is meant to be played in a rough manner. Tackling is the object of the game, you’re supposed to hit people, and you’re supposed to hit people hard. And while some could blame that, along with the lack of protection for players, you also have to take into account the amount of equipment they wear on a daily basis, from games to even just practice. Players are required to wear padded pants, shoulder pads, helmets, mouthguards, facemasks, etc to where just about everything on their body is covered. Helmets are crucial to concussions, and while they do protect players to a certain extent, it has come to attention that even the most trusted brands may fail to do so. 

A major factor regarding player safety in the NFL is helmets, the piece of equipment most directly related to concussions, and also the one that many believe can prevent the presence and frequency of concussions altogether. In an article published on the NFL Concussion Litigation website titled “Helmet to Helmet: Riddell's Role in the NFL's Concussion Litigation”, the issue regarding Riddell is brought to light. With over 80% of players using the brand, Riddell is the most widely used brand of helmet in the league, in addition to being the official NFL manufacturer. That said, you would assume that they are top of  the line, trusted by safety professionals, coaches, and players alike. The article states that “In addition to superior knowledge negligence claims, former players have also brought claims against Riddell for strict liability in manufacturing defect, design defect, and failure to warn (Uhle).” A New York Times article written by Alan Schwarz titled “Helmet Standards Are Latest N.F.L. Battleground” also touches on this issue as well, discussing the NFL’s placement of a committee specifically regarding helmet issues. However, shortly after the committee was formed, issues arose with that as well. The article states that “the helmet-testing work, on which the committee imposed a gag order on all participants, is being assailed not just for its scientific flaws but because of relationships among committee members (Schwarz)”, one of those members being Riddell. This also leads to many people questioning the issue, knowing that not only are the studies being rigged, but the companies that are trusted with the protection of the players are also taking part in the scandals as well. It probably didn’t come as a surprise to many when the NFL was the one under question, but it’s a different story when it comes to companies that are given the responsibility with protecting the league’s players. If we can’t trust the people given that job, then how can we expect the players to trust them either?

The NFL and the helmet companies don’t seem to be doing much to help the situation either, and in a sense it’s debatable if, or when, they ever will. And while we can’t count on them to make a difference, there is one set of people that can, and those are the players themselves. The players are the ones affected, the ones having to deal with these issues currently and then again down the road, so they are the most influential in this situation particularly. And they are starting to make a stand against this situation. In an article titled Three and Out: The NFL’s Concussion Liability and How Players Can Tackle the Problem found on the concussion litigation website, Jeremy Gove discusses how players can help and make a difference in this situation. The main point that Gove emphasizes in this is that players can have an impact when it comes to making the NFL own up to its mistakes and false accusations/exempting part of research, and Gove believes that there is one major way to do this, by claiming negligence. “Negligence will be the players’ most successful claim because the NFL has consistently breached its duty to protect the neurological well-being of its players by not enacting adequate rules, policies, and regulations that protect the players (Gove, 680).” If players want a change and for something to come of these, this is supposedly the best way to go about it. After combing through articles and doing research, he is not the only professional that believes this either. When it comes to this issue and wanting a change to come of it, players have the largest impact and can therefore impact this issue and the repercussions of it the most.  

In conclusion, the issue regarding the concussion litigation is a bigger deal than many would think, and it has the potential to have a large impact on the game we, as Americans, have grown to know and love. Players are faced with the constant fear that they could be the next retired player to get diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, to experience short term memory loss, or to even suffer from death at an early age. Take it from the players themselves. Vonnie Holliday, a Denver Broncos defensive end, says that "Now that I’m getting older, I start thinking about it more. In 10 years, am I going to be one of those guys that's suffering?" Offensive lineman for the St.Louis Rams Jason Smith even compares his future to being something like Muhammad Ali, saying that “I've been fuzzy-headed a lot. You use your head a lot, and at the end of my career, I'll probably be talking like Muhammad Ali." So, before you think that football is just a game, think again about the players that it will effect for the rest of their lives, and ask yourself if the hype on Sunday is actually worth the costs. 
