Originally posted by JimA49ers:
Originally posted by BobS:
Who here is shocked by this? I am not. I blame the players on this one, I know a lot of football players aren't Rhode Scholars, but give me a break. If something is swollen, immobile, or hurts like hell and some dude gives you a shot or a handful of pills and you feel good enough to play a physically taxing game like football and do you are going to damage your body. Jeremy Newberry only deserves to win a lawsuit if he gets an I.Q. test and he scores under 70, if not he should know better. I am with the players on the concussion issue as for the longest time every one thought only boxers could end up with brain damage. NFL players have been popping pain meds like candy and taking shots forever, nothing new. If you can get something that makes you able to run on a knee you previously could not walk on even the dumbest man on the planet knows you risk a bad injury if you do anything more than rest.
Only problem I have with your theory is that it was DOCTORS giving the medications. As a player, it should be a safe assumption that someone in the medical field, who has taken the Hippocratic Oath swearing to practice medicine honestly, would be reasonable with the medication, have routine follow up checks for damage or contraindications. Although it's a "team" doctor, he should have the player's health in mind, not the ability to perform gametime.
You don't think there are doctors who don't always have the patients best interest in mind? If the team doctor refuses to hand out pain meds like Halloween candy I am sure the team would just find someone who would. I guess you are just more trusting of people than I am. Saw either a 20-20 or 60 minutes once where doctors were caught meeting patients at coffee shops, and charging $400 cash to write pain med prescriptions without examining patients or seeing files, ex-rays or anything, just the cash and a handshake. Personal experience 30+ years ago just a measly D3 college linebacker got sent to a doctor though the coach who gave me an industrial sized jar of Darvon (now banned) to deal with pain from injuries. It was the huge jar that pharmacies dispense from, I once gobbled enough to play with cracked ribs. Even though barely an adult I knew I was risking worse injury, but I enjoyed playing so I rolled the dice. Also had a bum knee that ice, and pain killers milked along, figured it would eventually need an operation. I was even told excessive use of pain meds can cause kidney and liver problems, I made the choice. If something bad happened I would have no one to blame but me, it is called personal responsibility.
P.S. Just listened to Colin Cowherd talk to Kyle Turley (Ex all pro bowl Ram and Saint O-lineman) dude takes no responsibility for himself or other players for risking his and their health, blaming the doctors and the team. This guy even came back after sitting out a few years because nerve damage caused one of his legs to atrophy, he lost weight and tried to play tight end. Cowherd was a tough interview trying to get Turley to admit him and others took the shots and pills to be able to enjoy the "rock star" lifestyle the NFL provided, dude would not budge blaming everybody but himself. Because of their attitude I hope the non head injury guys don't get a red cent.
[ Edited by BobS on May 21, 2014 at 11:39 AM ]