The news that late NFLer Ken Stabler was found to have high Stage 3 CTE has put a "damper on what the NFL wants to be a nonstop celebration of its game" leading up to Super Bowl 50, according to Ann Killion of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Stabler is the first Super Bowl-winning starting QB to be "diagnosed with the disease, and the seventh quarterback overall." That news "changes the narrative about what types of players get CTE and how much impact is too much." This is not the kind of news NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and "his insular billionaires’ club want to hear in the midst of their annual festival of excess and money-torching." This week is a "celebration of all things football and the less said about the dark side of the game, the better, from their point of view." The fact that Stabler on Saturday could be voted into the Pro Football HOF "makes the medical news only more disturbing" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 2/4). In N.Y., John Branch reports Stabler "vowed to give his brain for research" after Pro Football HOFer Junior Seau "shot himself in the chest" in '12 and was later found to have had CTE. Stabler also added his name to a "class-action lawsuit brought by former players against the NFL, seeking damages from decades of concussions." The suit was "settled last April and is under appeal." Under the current deal, Stabler’s family "would not be eligible for compensation because Stabler’s CTE was diagnosed" after the April '15 cutoff. Meanwhile, the family of former NFLer Earl Morrall yesterday said that Morrall "was found to have Stage 4 CTE after his death" in '14 at age 79. Morrall played for 21 seasons and was a member of three Super Bowl-winning teams in the early '70s (N.Y. TIMES, 2/4).
MORE EARLY RETIREMENTS TO COME? ESPN's Jemele Hill said as a result of more high-profile players being diagnosed with CTE, she believes more current players will make the decision to retire earlier, especially if they’ve "made enough money or feel financially comfortable." Hill: "They will come in with more of a running clock in their head, knowing an exit strategy. I think today’s player, they’re just much more informed about what they can face down the line.” ESPN's Michael Smith: "You just wonder if it’s an occupation like coal-mining, like if it’s an occupational hazard, if it’s inevitable that you’re going to deal with some form of this” (“His & Hers,” ESPN2, 2/3). ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said, "If the NFL -- or football in general -- doesn’t come up with a remedy or antidote, at some point you’re going to get the Surgeon General’s report that says this is harmful, like on a cigarette pack” ("PTI," ESPN, 2/3).
NOTHING MORE THAN LIP SERVICE: USA TODAY's Nancy Armour writes the NFL "talks a good game about caring for the health and safety of its players, toughening the return-to-play protocol and encouraging research of the long-term impacts of head trauma," but that is "just lip service." As long as players like Rams QB Case Keenum are allowed to stay in the game after slamming their heads "into the turf and suffering what the whole world could see was a concussion, we’ll be hearing about players dying of CTE during Super Bowl 100." Armour: "The NFL can stop perpetuating the lie that football is 'safe' for children, something that now seems more and more unlikely" (USA TODAY, 2/4). In Las Vegas, Ed Graney writes the NFL "talks a good game when it comes to its health and safety efforts, but statistics continue to favor the side that wonders how diligent the league has been in protecting those smashing into each other" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/4). ESPN N.Y.'s Ian O'Connor wrote the NFL "has to do more than throw $1 billion at the thousands of players who have sued over head trauma and deserve a bigger cut." The league has to "dedicate even more time, energy and money on helmet technology and player safety, and add to its enhanced concussion protocol a provision that a concussed player must miss at least two full games before returning to action" (ESPNNY.com, 2/3). In Toronto, Bruce Arthur notes as the Broncos and Panthers prepare for Sunday's game, concussions "are barely a whisper on the radar of the week." But concussions "get buried by the week, intentionally and otherwise" (TORONTO STAR, 2/4).
LEAVE IT TO THE PROS: ESPN's Ron Jaworski acknowledged that "everyone is concerned" about CTE, but he believes people should "let the professionals figure it out." Jaworski: "There’s a lot more smarter people figuring this out to still keep this game the great game that it is, but make it safer. ... There’s a lot of people out there now coming out with safer equipment, from shoulder pads to head gear, that are making the game safer" (“Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 2/4). ESPN's Ryan Clark said the narrative has "really been one-sided," as media observers "don’t talk about the good things that come from the game." Clark: "We don’t talk about the people who leave and who are okay and get to live long, successful lives and not suffer from these different things." However, he did said the league is "going to continue to have to try to figure out ways to change the game without having it look like the Pro Bowl” ("His & Hers," ESPN2, 2/3).
