A day after saying he would prefer to die on the football field over anywhere else, Jets S Jamal Adams "clarified that he never intended to sound insensitive to concerns" over CTE, according to Kimberley Martin of NEWSDAY. Adams: "When you see something that’s blowing up, that’s on 'First Take' and ESPN, I think it should be addressed. My words were simply that I’m very passionate about what I do. ... I understand the CTE symptoms and whatnot and what families are affected by it. But it’s simply about passion.” Martin notes blowback to Adams' initial comments was "intense and immediate," as many "viewed his remarks as tone deaf." Adams: "I really did not see it getting that far" (NEWSDAY, 8/2). In New Jersey, Andy Vasquez notes Adams' words yesterday also "became a point of discussion in NFL locker rooms." While his fellow players "seemed to understand that Adams was expressing his passion for the game, they still disagreed -- strongly -- with his message." Seahawks DE Michael Bennett: "I'm (not) like the dumbass rookie for the Jets who goes and says I was to die on the f----ing football field. ... It just shows the disconnect between the youth and the veterans." Jaguars DE Calais Campbell: "I've always been a big football fan. But no, I would not die for football." Seahawks CB Richard Sherman pointed out that Adams is a young player who "doesn't have kids," and "just got in the game." Packers DE Ricky Jean Francois: "Nobody wants to die for this game, we just want to keep playing a kid’s game and keep having fun with it but have less worries about, 'Will I be able to function five or six years when I get out of the NFL?' If he wants to say that to sound good, then great. But common sense will tell you ain’t nobody trying to die on the field. This ain’t no movie" (Bergen RECORD, 8/2).
CAUSE FOR CONCERN: In N.Y., Steve Serby reports former NFLer and Jets radio analyst Marty Lyons "has CTE concerns." Lyons: "Without a doubt I do. You know, you’re seeing guys that you played with that are suffering from way more than I am." But Lyons said he does not "have any regrets." He said, "If some of the information was disclosed earlier to us, maybe I would have taken better care of myself and maybe not push yourself as much as we did back then.” He added he wants to "give the NFL the benefit of the doubt to say that maybe their medical staff didn’t know the long-term effect.” Lyons: “I want to believe that" (N.Y. POST, 8/2).
LONG WAY TO GO: In N.Y., Gary Myers writes, "It’s only when players say they literally would die for the game that it becomes apparent the NFL still has a long way to go in its mission to change the culture." NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "needs to admonish" players speaking like Adams "regardless of their intentions -- rather than dismissing it" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/2). ESPN's Israel Gutierrez said Goodell probably wanted to "say the exact opposite" of Adams and "probably massage the truth a little bit to help the NFL.” ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan said she was “much more concerned” with Goodell sitting next to Adams, as he "had an opportunity there to not only clarify for this young man, but also to address the idea of CTE and the problems it’s causing his league and the seriousness of this issue." Instead, he "went back to old data from 2012" about life expectancy of NFL players (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 8/1). ESPN’s Dan Le Batard: "Can you imagine Roger Goodell's concern inside his head as he’s got his young player saying ‘the perfect place to die is a football field,’ and it's met with applause from the audience for some reason, and then he's got to go in there and start denying the CTE report recently." Le Batard: "He’s got to run in there and be the piñata on that" (“Highly Questionable,” ESPN, 8/1).
BLOWN OUT OF PROPORTION? PFT's Mike Florio said there are "some who want to take this problem and make it bigger than it is, and there are some who are creating this sense of paranoia, unreasonable paranoia for any and all football players who think that they now are walking around with this ticking time bomb that is going to go off." Florio said players "are not flocking away from the NFL." Florio: "They're embracing it. They're not assuming the risk, they're embracing the risk, they are glad to do it" ("PFT," NBCSN, 8/2). ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said of Adams, "CTE never came out of his mouth. He never mentioned anything about CTE. He simply said, 'I am passionate about this sport, We live, eat and breathe this sport.' ... He was talking about where his passion lies, and he wants to give his life for something like that. He did not make this about CTE" ("First Take," ESPN, 8/2). ESPN's Clinton Yates: "Don't get it twisted, the NFL does not want this. This so-called 'honor' notion goes away once the reality of that potential sets in. ... It is not an attack on football, simply an observation of what the game is and whether or not something so brutal is going to be something we can continue to do down the line" ("Mike & Mike," ESPN, 8/2).
