Dear NFL Retirees: You know those helmets you wear? They aren’t there just to look pretty.
While the lockout seems to be reaching near its end, 75 NFL Retirees have recently hit the NFL with a lawsuit claiming that the NFL withheld information for years about the dangers of concussions.
“The suit alleges the NFL knew as early as the 1920s of the harmful effects of concussions but concealed them from coaches, trainers, players and the public until June 2010. It also names helmet-maker Riddell, the NFL’s official helmet supplier.”
Let me ask you guys something. I’m sure that this kind of question will blow your mind and give the world a brand new meaning. Let me make this absolutely clear: This very question alone will change your entire viewpoint on football. You will never be the same again.
Did you know that football is a contact sport?
That’s right. That bulky padding you wear and the hardhat you wear on your head isn’t there to make you look bigger and prettier for the camera. It is meant to protect your body from harm. That little list of players who can’t play each Sunday called IR is made for players that have suffered broken legs, fingers, arms, and god knows what else. When you throw your body against someone else helmet to helmet and do it for 10 years to expect to come out on the other side with absolutely no injuries at all, you are insane.
Are you really trying to tell me that the NFL is supposed to warn you about concussions? Really? What the heck is the NFL supposed to say?
“Good evening! This is a National Football League public service announcement! Ramming your head continuously into another person make cause internal brain injuries! Make sure you take precaution! Also in the news, fire is hot and water is cold! Staying in the sun for too long can cause skin cancer! Cats are fun to pet, but petting lions are dangerous!”
I mean goodness, what else is there to say? Hell, let’s say I was driving down the road and I ran over a pothole. I should sue the state government for not putting a sign pointing down at the pothole saying “LOOK! THERE IS A POTHOLE HERE! DRIVE AWAY FROM IT OR YOU MAY GET A FLAT TIRE AND CAUSE HARM TO YOUR VEHICLE!”
Use your common sense.
Why stop with the NFL? We have a big money train going here! Why don’t we sue the NCAA for not letting their college players know that running into other players at high speeds may hurt you? Aren’t they just as responsible for the NFL for letting players know that they might incur injuries if they play a sports game?
Why don’t we sue the high schools for neglect and mistreatment of minors? What happens if they get a concussion and end up in a wheelchair the rest of their life? They get NOTHING! That's right! Nothing! Because they never grew up a famous person and they were never good enough to get into the NFL! They get squat because they never became a household name!
This is a terrible game that promotes hurtful violence in our society and therefore it must be banned before it corrupts the young people with evil! We must establish love and comfort circles in our schools to replace sports so that our children can gain entertainment by hugging each other instead of playing these hateful, ignorant sport games where 50% of the players involved are sad because they lost the game.
Apparently in this world today, no one is responsible for the consequences of their actions. Everyone has to point the finger at the other person and say, “It’s their fault!” instead of looking at themselves, the results of the decisions they’ve made in life, and figure out how they can solve it themselves
That is why lawsuits like this exist.
Thus ends my rant.
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Apologies in advance of the harshness of this article, but this just comes off as a money-grabber to me.
Lawsuits just seem to lose their meaning nowadays.
"Once again the trousers of evil are yanked down by the mocking hands of justice!"-Revshawn
To me, it’s the equivalent of suing the gun manufacturer because some nutjob shot up a school…just a stupid, frivolous lawsuit.
One cries because one is sad. For example: I cry because others are stupid, and it makes me sad.
Or suing McDonalds for spilling hot coffee on your hand. Oh wait...D'oh!
"Once again the trousers of evil are yanked down by the mocking hands of justice!"-Revshawn
by Revshawn on Jul 20, 2011 9:18 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Or...
Let’s not forget suing because you’re a disgruntled cheerleader mom who’s mad because your little girl didn’t make the squad over something as inane as a shared interest in the same boy…
Thankfully it was kicked out of court and she was laughed at in the process.
One cries because one is sad. For example: I cry because others are stupid, and it makes me sad.
Ah yes... the infamous Stella Liebeck v. McDonalds case
Fun facts about that one…
The coffee she spilled gave her 3rd degree burns and required her to have skin grafts to repair the damage. The coffee she was served was more than 50 degrees above the normal serving temperature for coffee. She was served coffee at about 190 degrees, when normally it should be about 130. Liquid at that temperature can cause third degree burns in less than 5 seconds.
She originally offered to settle the case with McDonalds for $20,000. Her offer was refused.
The final award of the case to the plaintiff was $640,000. Most of which went to medical bills… because skin grafts aren’t cheap. The jury actually took away part of the settlement because they deemed she was partially at fault for trying to open the coffee in her lap, however, the reasonable expectation is that coffee will not cause permanent disfiguration to your person should it spill on you. It may be uncomfortable… but third degree burns?
This is a rare case of a “frivolous lawsuit” which in actuality was probably justice being properly served.

This comment section has officially been Tater'd.
I didn't know that Tater...thanks for the education.
As a connoisseur of coffee, I’ve experienced my fair share of spills when the coffee just came out of the pot, but I’ve never been burned like that, jeez.
One cries because one is sad. For example: I cry because others are stupid, and it makes me sad.
When I say I didn’t know that, I mean I didn’t know the details of the case, not that “hot coffee burn baby”….
One cries because one is sad. For example: I cry because others are stupid, and it makes me sad.
I have to thank Cracked.com for my education
I didn’t study the case of anything… but I read this article a while back
Cracked is my favorite site on the net, funny and informative.
This comment section has officially been Tater'd.
Did you check out the photos of the burn?
Holy effing crap.
One cries because one is sad. For example: I cry because others are stupid, and it makes me sad.
Yes, and I knew what to expect from a 3rd degree burn
But those were particularly brutal.
This comment section has officially been Tater'd.
I'm glad you said that BW...I thought she burned her hand...not half of her inner thighs on both legs
I thought the same thing...
My understanding of the case was she opened the coffee, got a blister on her and, and sued McDonald’s for a million dollars.
Now that I see what really happened, I don’t blame her at all for suing and I’m glad she did get something, even though she was stupid for trying to open the lid with the coffee cup in her lap. That’s a classic coffee rookie mistake. You always put the cup on a sturdy flat surface when you’re opening the lid.
One cries because one is sad. For example: I cry because others are stupid, and it makes me sad.
*got a blister on her hand...
One cries because one is sad. For example: I cry because others are stupid, and it makes me sad.
I actually did some research on that case after I had posted and now I feel quite bad about it.
I was quite surprised to see what I found. Thanks for the education Tater. It’s a shame that the case wasn’t covered more on the media while it was happening.
"Once again the trousers of evil are yanked down by the mocking hands of justice!"-Revshawn
There’s a bit more to the coffee story… her son was driving that morning… she got the coffee and set it on the dashboard. He gunned the engine to get into traffic… the coffee spilled. She TOLD him as she put it on the dash, “the coffee’s really hot. Drive carefully.”
It was his fault.
Initially, she wasn’t going to sue. It was her family that pushed her to do it.
...almost need TX standards for motor vehicle accidents...
…as it gives percentages of faults based on actual information. Obviously there is some fault to Stella and her son, but without the ‘bullet’ of McDonalds scalding coffee this situation does not come to fruition.
It's not what you've done but what you are doing that matters.
Maybe next year the Ice Surface at Jobing.com should be frozen with the tears of Winnipeg. - TimmyHate of FiveForHowling to a troll after it was alleged Coyote fans do not know how to ice skate.
by AlabamaJammer on Jul 22, 2011 8:52 AM EDT up reply actions
Just playing devil's advocate Rev...like you know I like to do
But if someone came to you right now and said…“Rev I know you enjoy being a _________ but there is a 30% chance that it will cause you to be crippled and unable to care for yourself by age 50” would you quit your job and find a new line of work? If you decide to keep working and then you do become crippled (for any reason) then please don’t blame anyone but yourself…right?
Okay… what if you found out that Riddell started using cheaper, less protective plastic in their helmets in the 1970’s and on through the 80’s? Still the players problem? I realize that’s not the situation in this case but it’s plausible.
One more and I’ll stop…What if we found out 10 years from now excessive staring at certain types of computer screens (like yours) causes blindness by age 50? You should have known right?
Though I can’t imagine the retired players winning this case I would still like to hear their full argument before passing judgement.
If the statistics say even 3 or 4 concussions can cripple a player down the road it could severely impact the game. Dan Morgan will be a good case study. If the statistics show significant risk parents might steer their children to other sports that are safer. Having two boys age 8 (future QB) & 5 (Future WR) makes me want to see all the data. Just because you disagree with the lawsuit doesn’t mean we should ignore the message it is sending.
Ah, the high, rare, true, dangerous indignation.
Good stuff, Rev. It’s like people blaming tobacco companies because they got lung cancer from smoking.
Accountability. Like Coca-Cola USED to be, it’s the real thing.
"You know you're in Charlotte when every day while you're having lunch in the city you hear ... "GOD Scott Fowler is a retard!"
by The Kackalack Kid on Jul 20, 2011 6:21 PM EDT reply actions
So, you taking that stance with the tobacco companies?
…now I’ll give you there seems to be much ado about nothing to you, but if this claim was substantiated aren’t those who were being the guinea pigs without their direct knowledge entitled to some compensation since the end game to all those ‘contacts’ is now CTE? A disease that carries a high price tag because of what is/has happened to their brains? I dare say the league needs to do more for those who have already been chewed up and spit out of the league than the present day “douche bags” [thanks, Kevin] who seem to be in it for themselves than for their peers in the player’s union.
It's not what you've done but what you are doing that matters.
Maybe next year the Ice Surface at Jobing.com should be frozen with the tears of Winnipeg. - TimmyHate of FiveForHowling to a troll after it was alleged Coyote fans do not know how to ice skate.
I've posted on this blog about this very issue before...
As a person who grew up in a medical background, and has worked in the medical field as well, let me tell you what I know about CTE…
CTE was only very recently discovered. I think 2002 or thereabout was when doctors really started looking at it, and the condition can really only be diagnosed post-mortem, due to the extensive amount of biopsy that is needed to empirically find the elevated levels of a protein that is indicative of the condition. Ten years is simply not enough time to conduct any kind of real analysis about this condition, especially when it’s so difficult to observe the condition organically, or while brain chemistry is still active.
Of all the sports where players or participants are at risk for CTE, i.e. high-contact sports such as football, boxing, hockey, professional wrestling, there have still only been about 20 confirmed cases, from players whose professional careers started as early as the 1960s. 20 confirmed cases. Think about the vast number of players taking part in these sports in that period of time. 20 cases is a very, very small sample. Just guessing I’d say somewhere in the neighborhood of less than one-half of one percent. Not enough to present liability to equipment manufacturers for not protecting players. I remember two years ago there was a college kid who committed suicide (can’t remember his name, how shameful) who was diagnosed post-mortem with CTE even though he hadn’t had any on-field concussions or missed significant playing time due to concussion injury. I also believe the doctors that performed the autopsy in that case claimed that there was no causal connection between CTE and his suicide.
And lastly, as sad as it is for me to admit, in a lot of cases the medical community is much more mercenary now than it used to be. Scientists and doctors can only do research for which they are funded, and in the political climate that exists now in the medical community, generally speaking, funding only comes from individuals or organizations that are looking for a specific answer or finding. If you are a scientist or doctor being privately funded for research, you had damn well better find whatever it is your donors are wanting you to find, or your funding comes to a screeching halt. It’s the dirty little secret about the medical profession. The idea of science for the sake of science is dead. This is why I no longer work in the medical field, and why many doctors are frustrated with academic findings present-day. It’s about money, like when the NFLPA donated 1 million dollars to the BU School of Medicine for the study of this disorder. Given the extremely large lawsuits that could follow a medical and scientific endorsement of CTE, call me paranoid, but that sounds like an investment expecting a return.
CTE is certainly a phenomenon that requires more in-depth research. And a very serious condition to boot. But let’s not imply that equipment manufacturers, coaches, and administrative staff are somehow putting players in any more danger than they have already accepted the risks for.
"You know you're in Charlotte when every day while you're having lunch in the city you hear ... "GOD Scott Fowler is a retard!"
by The Kackalack Kid on Jul 24, 2011 6:00 AM EDT up reply actions
Heres the thing I think about
In the 70s and 80s, if you didn’t put your head on another player, you didn’t make the team. How many times have we heard, “get your helmet in there!”? Now, there are rules that protect players from themselves. The headslap was a very effective move for defensive players. Why? Because if you slap someone hard enough you will temporarily stun the player, allowing you to get by him. Those plays are now outlawed. They were ENCOURAGED in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. So, I can kinda understand where these players are coming from.
If the NFL is passing all these rules, where did they get the data from? That’s right the players that are still suffering the consequences of those concussions.
In situations like this when things are bad, the easy thing to do is fold up the tent, just pack it up and accept it. But winners and people who are successful realize that when things get tough, it’s an opportunity to define yourself. They realize that in this moment, you can do something great. - Jon Beason
by Tarheel Soldier on Jul 21, 2011 9:39 AM EDT reply actions
My bottom line...
This is my own story about getting whacked in the head. My response was much different than our “professional” athletes lawsuit.
I worked a tire job when I was younger. I had a split-rim wheel (called a widowmaker for a reason) fly off and bash me in the head. I felt drunk for 3 days after that. My job paid for my medical bills and I took responsibility for the incident as I was well aware working with those type of wheels is very dangerous.
If I end up a retard some day from my work as a tire guy, getting thunked in the head by numerous workplace things, I’m not going to sue that company for “hiding the risks of the job” from me… I knew well aware my job wasn’t the safest in the world and I accepted that… for $3 million dollars LESS a year than our “professional” athletes.
In their face!!
"Resistance is NOT futile... It's voltage divided by current." -Me

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