Junior Seau dead at 43

[humanrefutation]

Terribly tragic story. I was heartbroken when I saw this. He was one of my favorite non-Packers growing up.

Apparently, Seau tried to commit suicide a couple years ago when he drove his car off a cliff after getting into a fight with his GF. He survived, and said he fell asleep at the wheel. Seems ominous now.

I saw Marcellus Wiley on ESPN and he seemed absolutely crushed, and the press conference with Seau's mom was just heart-wrenching.

I love football. Loved playing it, and love following it. But, if we can't figure out a way to protect players from suffering these concussions, then I'd rather ban the sport then allow things like this to continue.

[chuckleslove]

I love football. Loved playing it, and love following it. But, if we can't figure out a way to protect players from suffering these concussions, then I'd rather ban the sport then allow things like this to continue.

Sure it is a violent sport and people are taking risks, but those are their risks to take, it shouldn't be your place or my place or anyone else's place to tell them they can't play football. Not that it is even realistic to think that will will ban the sport because it will never happen but that entire thought process makes no sense to me.

[Bucks_the_trend]

Some of the comments at the end of the deadspin story are funny if you read through.

[humanrefutation]

Sure it is a violent sport and people are taking risks, but those are their risks to take, it shouldn't be your place or my place or anyone else's place to tell them they can't play football. Not that it is even realistic to think that will will ban the sport because it will never happen but that entire thought process makes no sense to me.

It's a tough issue that I vacillate on constantly. I agree with your philosophy in general - the idea that people should be able to make their own choices. But, I also feel that sometimes the community needs to step in to protect its own from harm. There are all sorts risk-taking activities that society has chosen to demonize and have been legally prohibited. Maybe football falls into that category...maybe it doesn't. But, admittedly, I'm pretty shaken by hearing about the suicides/deaths of football players, culminating Seau's death, so this is going to need more thought on my part.

[Kerb Hohl]

You're going a bit too far there, HR. There are a lot of things not-named football linked to suicide, and having .005% of your sport's alumnus commit suicide (maybe .5% depression rate) in a billions upon billions dollar sport is probably going a little too far.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

I'm in "pro-choice" when it comes to these sports discussions but I could see these stories dooming football. Granted it had other reasons, but boxing used to be thy sport. Then the great started to die off from injuries due to their careers. It ultimately led to less people going into boxing and just the general public not enjoying the brutality of the sport. It went from toughness to stupidity for most of the average fan. Nobody wants to see a guy like ali having to ride in a motorcart just to awkwardly throw a first pitch. That guy transcended sports, but yet it was boxing that caused his demise and it turned off a lot of fans, myself included.

[Kerb Hohl]

There are plenty of guys that have chronic injuries from football but what are the percentages:

Boxing: 50-60% of guys leave with brain/head issues at some point in their life?

NFL: 1% serious...maybe up to 10% if you want to include minor stuff?

[BUCKnation]

In 1998, LB Doug Miller was struck by lightning while camping in Colorado. CPR was being performed on Miller when he was struck again by a second bolt.

It must have been his time...

[Bucksfans1and2]

There are plenty of guys that have chronic injuries from football but what are the percentages:

Boxing: 50-60% of guys leave with brain/head issues at some point in their life?

NFL: 1% serious...maybe up to 10% if you want to include minor stuff?

I think you underestimate how bad the situation is for some of these players.

[Kerb Hohl]

There are plenty of guys that have chronic injuries from football but what are the percentages:

Boxing: 50-60% of guys leave with brain/head issues at some point in their life?

NFL: 1% serious...maybe up to 10% if you want to include minor stuff?

I think you underestimate how bad the situation is for some of these players.

Out of the Packers and the Bears current rosters (over 100 players), how many of them do you think will leave the NFL with serious head injuries? 5 with some form of lingering issues and 1 with serious head issues?

[Kerb Hohl]

And let me be clear in stating that I'm a very pro-protection guy when it comes to issues like this. I'm proactive about this stuff. I think we're running our numbers and worries a bit high here, though.

A kid was paralyzed playing hockey by me in Minnesota and they ran a 1 month debate on whether we should ban the sport. It's a tragic issue and I feel for whomever it happens to, but we went along with normal operations after we realized that it's something that's just going to happen and we need to keep studying how to cut down on it happening.

I don't think we're going to cancel a sport that touches so many people's lives growing up that they play and everyone watches. It's a risk you take, I guess.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

There are plenty of guys that have chronic injuries from football but what are the percentages:

Boxing: 50-60% of guys leave with brain/head issues at some point in their life?

NFL: 1% serious...maybe up to 10% if you want to include minor stuff?

I think you underestimate how bad the situation is for some of these players.

Out of the Packers and the Bears current rosters (over 100 players), how many of them do you think will leave the NFL with serious head injuries? 5 with some form of lingering issues and 1 with serious head issues?

I would say probably closer to 35% if you follow it through age 50-70. And that is just shot in the air guess. You just don't hear about it cause the guy is in some nursing home late in life and not at team functions.

ETA: I'm including 'minor' memory loss and brain function. Stuff that normally happens but is much more progressed with those with head trauma.

[ReasonablySober]

The rate of brain related illness is huge in former players over the age of 50, and these are the guys who weren't playing when linebackers 6'3", 250 lb and running 4.4s.

[Kerb Hohl]

That may be true. I personally don't think it's close to boxing but there are some lingering effects on former players. I'm just not sure it's as serious as we may be thinking right now.

[ReasonablySober]

Do some reading up on the subject. I'd link to the articles I just read but I'm on my phone and it's tough to link. Multiple studies have been done in the last three years showing a large correlation between football and Alzheimer's and dementia. I'm anticipating reading about a large segment of the players we currently follow dieing sad, tragic deaths.