NFL A Gamble?

When I woke up this morning, I saw in the Chicago Tribune that former NFL linebacker Junior Seau, a perennial pro bowler and big hitter, has been diagnosed with a brain disease. Seau killed himself in May of 2012, leaving the safety and future of NFL players up in the air.

The diagnosis was chronic traumatic encepholopathy, or CTE. In an article from ABC News, it states that his wife noticed "A lot of things, towards the end of his life, patterns that we saw and things that worried us, it makes sense now." So, could Gina Seau and her family have gotten help earlier for her husband? Or, could Seau have had no head issues to begin with? Sadly, I think no. There will be head injuries in the NFL forever (most likely).

The NFL has not been secretive with the safety of their players, and they are working on improving their safety. A commercial I recently saw showed me how the game is evolving and the NFL.

One can see how the game has evolved and players have gotten bigger, faster, and stronger. The NFL needs to keep up with the evolving game of football, but like Seau's wife admits, "I think it's a gamble." I agree with her. When you get paid great money (even the minimum salary) to play football with fame and spotlight all around you, there is a risk you take with your health.

What risk regarding their health should players in the NFL have, considering they play football for their PROFESSION? Let me know.

P.S. To see a blog post Mr. Bolos, one of my teachers, posted about the NFL and concussions, click here.