The day opened with a goodwill gesture sure to touch hearts. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed paralyzed ex-college football player Eric LeGrand. His former coach, Greg Schiano, is now Tampa Bay’s coach. It was a happy moment — and a positive one — for the NFL.
Then it got a lot worse.
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The entire day reminded everyone of the perils of playing professional football — and, perhaps, why commissioner Roger Goodell is so intent on making the game safer.
That latter goal is noble though tough to achieve given the nature of the sport. It’s why Goodell came down hard with suspensions on the New Orleans Saints players who participated in the bounty system — those in leadership positions on the team and those who contributed to the pool of cash.
Did Saints middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma deserve a full season? It seems harsh. Then again, what if his actions — ponying up cash if another player was knocked from the game — had caused a cheap shot that forced an opponent to miss a full season?
On a related note, it certainly helps the Redskins in their season opener vs. New Orleans. The Saints should be OK minus Vilma, having signed veteran linebackers Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne, but losing end Will Smith for four games hurts. And they’re already playing minus their coach. The Saints, however, will have plenty of time to adjust.
From there, it segued into the surreal and sad with the news about former All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau. He shot himself in the chest, committing suicide in the same manner as former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson. He seemingly did it that way so his brain could be studied by science, researching the impact of concussions and years of collisions.
Seau, a future Hall of Famer, made nearly 2,000 tackles in his 20-year and likely played with concussions as many did. Did that cause his suicide? A lot more information is needed before making that leap.
But there’s little doubt that repeated concussions wreak havoc on the brain. And there’s little doubt, too, that life in retirement can be difficult for former players, who deal with less adulation, less money and physical ailments. It’s a vocation they chose. It’s also a brutal one.
– John Keim
