Monday, September 2, 2013

"Mixed Feelings Over N.F.L. Concussions Settlement"

"I expected a settlement to come at some point. What I didn’t expect was to feel so oddly conflicted about it." Writes retired NFL player Scott Fujita, in an Essay published by the New York Times titled "Mixed Feelings Over N.F.L. Concussions Settlement"
Last Thursday, the N.F.L. and the more than 4,500 plaintiffs involved in a consolidated concussion lawsuit agreed to settle their differences and, pending the approval of a judge, were prepared to put the dispute behind them. Good news, right? Certainly a win for everyone involved? I’m not so sure.
After reading the essay, I got the sense Scott wanted the plaintiffs to hold out for more money.
I wasn’t a part of the lawsuit. I was approached about it, as I’m sure every player who retired in recent months had been...
The lawsuit was not Scott's fight, he is just commenting about it.
I’m thrilled for Kevin Turner, a former player and a plaintiff who is battling A.L.S., known as Lou Gehrig’s disease... 
The proposed settlement agreement will potentially relieve a tremendous financial and medical burden for Turner. And this will happen now, instead of 5, 10, maybe 15 years from now, when he may no longer be with us. The settlement is a huge win for the former players like Kevin Turner and their families. We must not lose sight of that. It’s easy to tell someone to hold out for more when it’s not your livelihood at risk.
These deals are complicated and multilayered, and they affect everybody differently. It’s easy to feel conflicted. And it’s not always easy to declare a winner or a loser.
Is it easy to feel conflicted, because delaying the hit to the owners would also mean hurting the players battling the effects of the game?
Scott Fujita inner conflicts may also stem from having seen this play before.
In late July 2010 an agreement was reached in principle to end the N.F.L. lockout... I was not entirely thrilled with the deal at the time. When I raised questions, I imagine some felt like I was trying to prevent the lockout from ending, but I just wanted to make sure it was the right deal, and I wanted to be diligent about the ratification process.
When I called a meeting with my Cleveland Browns teammates to outline the main points of the agreement, I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of simply “selling” the deal. I wanted them to make an informed decision. I gave them what I considered the good, the bad and the ugly. When I finished, one of my younger teammates said: “Scott, you’ve been there through everything and we trust your opinion. What would you recommend we do? Accept the deal or not?”
As I looked at the group of men in front of me, one of the youngest teams in the league, I was not sure what to say. These guys just wanted to begin their careers and play ball. Would it have been irresponsible of me to deny them that right?
So I responded, “If you guys would like to get to work and start making money, then I recommend you take the deal.”
They voted unanimously to approve.
Scott's Wikipedia page says...
He is politically liberal, and has gone on record as a supporter of abortion rights and gay rights as well as an advocate for adoption, wetlands preservation, and other causes; he was named the Saints "Man of the Year" in 2009 for his charitable activities.
I predict Scott Fujita is going to run for state wide office, in the state of Louisiana, in the not too distant future.

New York Times

23 comments:

Phil 314 said...

because delaying the hit to the owners would also mean hurting the players battling the effects of the game?

And delaying a hit would be a penalty.

Shouting Thomas said...

Football Does a Body Good!

sakredkow said...

It was pretty tough to watch Jim McMahon on television this weekend telling everyone he had early onset dementia. Very sorry to hear it.

The Dude said...

No doubt football players are brain damaged. The question this settlement avoids is when did their brains get damaged? Pee wee football? High school football? College?

It's not as though the dangers of football are not widely known.

AllenS said...

Make all football players wear helmets the size of smart cars.

That should take care of the problem.

ndspinelli said...

What should be done is..ahh, I forgot what I was going to say.

XRay said...

Suck it up. Or, lets just end football, too many injuries, of all types, not just concussions.

Better end the military as well, those poor bastards never get a settlement.

I do think this...

"Nyad completes swim from Cuba"

is worthy of mention.

Sixty four fucking years old, and sticks it.

ndspinelli said...

Wait, now I remember. I had a severe concussion and blow out fracture of my right orbital[eye] bone in 1968, playing HS football. Damn...I lost my train of thought.

ndspinelli said...

Oh, here's what I was going to say. I saw docs in three different cities for my eye, I was seeing double. Every doc I saw told myself and my parents that I was MUCH more susceptible to future concussions, and to consider giving up football. The risks have been known for decades. As Troy Aikman suggests, it's counterintuitive but take away helmets, or @ least faceguards. If a defender has to stick his face in to tackle he's going to slow up a bit.

rcocean said...

And what was his point? All I got from the essay was "on one hand, but on the other hand" and that he was conflicted.

Fascinating.

rcocean said...

And if Pro Football too dangerous, maybe they should just end it. College is better anyhow.

ndspinelli said...

Sixty, It is well documented NCAA football players are most @ risk. The NFL Players Assoc. has gotten the number of full contact practices during the season greatly reduced. It's not just the big hits, it's the cumulative. College players have no one to watch out for them. Ostensibly the school administration should but you know they don't give a fuck. So, college have full contacts regularly during the season.

ndspinelli said...

rcocean, We need more one handed analysis.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

The Times has changed the essay title to "Some Relief, But No Answers".

What was wrong with the "mixed feelings" I wonder?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Maybe "relief" outsells "feelings" in Louisiana.

Keep that target audience in mind at all times.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Talk of "feelings" coming from a former NFL football player might steer the mind away from where they are supposed to go.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

And what was his point?

That he cares. And because he cares, people are going to give him the vote when he asks for it.

virgil xenophon said...

Even in college and HS ball one needs to hit (i.e., full scrimmage) occasionally just to get the timing down for the offensive line, but one doesn't need to hit every day. IIRC there is a small NAIA or NCAA DIV III coach in the northeast somewhere who has an outstanding W-L record who's teams don't hit at all once the season starts--just walk thru and 3/4 speed air dummy drills--so it seems itcan be done to lessen the wear & tear w.o. degrading the quality of the game..

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Fujita is introducing himself to liberals... I mean, the voters.

rcocean said...

"rcocean, We need more one handed analysis."

Yes, on one hand I can your point, but on the other hand, I can't.

I'm conflicted. If only add another 500 words, I'd have a New York Times essay.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I don't have mixed feeling over Anna Wintour and her depths of dumb.

rcocean said...

"That he cares. And because he cares, people are going to give him the vote when he asks for it."

Thanks Lem. I keep forgetting the NYT target audience.

virgil xenophon said...

AprilApple@10:02/

Of course all that Hollywood and Political palsy-walsy coseying-up to "reformer" Assad and hyping Damascus as the "cool" place for hipsters and the beautiful people alike will all be conveniently forgotten by the MSM--drop-kicked down-the-memory-hole..