Getty ImagesWith a mounting docket of lawsuits filed against the NFL by former players who claim that the league concealed the risks of concussions and/or failed to adequately protect players from their ill effects, the NFL has opted to remain largely quiet, at least for now.? Though the league will justify its low profile by pointing to the fact that the matters are in litigation, the NFL had no qualms about making its positions known during the lockout, which featured as its centerpiece a high-profile antitrust lawsuit.
For now, here?s the league?s official statement regarding the concussion lawsuits, sent via email to PFT by NFL spokesman Greg Aiello:? ?The NFL has long made player safety a priority and continues to do so.? Any allegation that the NFL intentionally sought to mislead players has no merit.? It stands in contrast to the league?s actions to better protect players and advance the science and medical understanding of the management and treatment of concussions.?
The league doesn?t need to say much more in the near term, because folks aren?t paying attention to the concussion lawsuits.? Hardcore fans will be aware of the litigation, but most hardcore fans seem to be inclined to believe that football players are compensated to assume all known and unknown risks, that the risks of long-term injury should have been obvious, and that most players would have played even if all risks had been outlined in chapter-and-verse fashion.? More importantly, many hardcore fans simply hope at a certain level that the lawsuits will go away, given that they potentially could impact the game in a negative way.
As a result, the lawyers who are representing the players in these cases undoubtedly will be getting the word out regarding any and all evidence that arguably reveals an effort to hide the risks of head injuries.? While the concussion lawsuits currently represent a minor blemish in comparison to the festering sore that the work stoppage became, the league could in time have a major problem, both from a liability and a public relations standpoint.
The biggest risk, of course, is that increased sensitivity to the long-term health risks of playing football could choke off the supply of future NFL players by prompting parents to discourage or prohibit their children from playing the game.
That?s why the league will continue to make changes to the game aimed at making it safer.? Each tweak, however, will serve only to bolster the argument from the former players that more could have been done in the past.
vanessa bryant vanessa bryant kurt busch kurt busch nfl mock draft 2012 adam lambert incendiary
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.