I was the kid who fought my brothers for the sports page every morning. I usually won. By the time I was 12, I had called SportsTalk radio to offer my opinions on the coming draft. Sunday nights were spent writing to Denver Broncos’ head coach John Ralston to challenge him on his play-calling.
“Give up the Pony Express backfield,†I wrote week after week. Ralston was too nice a guy to do anything other than write me back: “Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Sincerely, John Ralston.â€
He was a disciple of Dale Carnegie, who was all about winning friends and influencing people, so of course, he would be nice to a young teen who didn’t yet realize how insufferable she was.
My attitude toward football, though, began changing after the tragedy of Junior Seau. Seau was a Hall of Fame linebacker who played in the NFL for 20 seasons. He earned first-team All-Pro six times and Pro Bowl selection 12 times.
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Then, in 2012, at the young age of 43, Seau, the father of four children, shot himself. His suicide caught people by surprise. Upon autopsy, it was found that he suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, which is a neurodegenerative disease caused by severe trauma to the head, the kind that football players experience.
Research suggests that if a player has three or more concussions, it can have a lasting effect. Given Seau’s long football career, he likely had many concussions, and CTE most probably factored into Seau’s suicide.
The NFL works to manage the risk of CTE, but it’s challenging. Every season, players fight to stay on the field after taking a hit that makes them look concussed. Sometimes, coaches take their helmets away. The list of players known to suffer from CTE is too long to share, and many suffer whose names we don’t know.
The other problem in football? Too many instances of sexual aggression. The NFL is trying to make a stand, but its punishments often fall short. Take the case of Deshaun Watson, a quarterback who was accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault. He incurred a $5 million fine for this behavior and was subsequently traded to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for three first-round draft picks.
Watson signed a guaranteed contract for $230 million. What punishment did Watson receive, or the team that traded him that now holds precious draft picks? Sadly, Watson’s story is not that unique. There appears to be an escape clause for those with extreme talent.
Still, I remain tethered to the game of football because of its positive aspects. Football is a fascinating exercise in teamwork and discipline. We learn that comebacks are possible. When Tom Brady and the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons in 2017, down 28-3 in the third quarter, my family’s dinner conversations centered on comeback stories for the whole week! We understood “down†does not mean “out.â€
