NFL Seeks To Balance Violence and Safety
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By DERON SNYDER
The events of May 2, 2012, won’t be forgotten in the NFL. A one-two punch of shocking developments — unrelated on the surface but perhaps with connective tissue beneath — highlighted the ongoing wrestling match in our love-hate relationship with NFL violence.
Commissioner Roger Goodell clearly is concerned with the perception of the league at the very least. He has been on a safety crusade for three years, since the NFL conceded publicly for the first time that concussions can have lasting consequences. That’s why he slapped Jonathan Vilma with a one-year suspension Wednesday for his role in “Bounty-gate,” even though there’s no evidence that the New Orleans Saints‘ program resulted in injuries.
As we’ve all seen in the cases of many former players, Goodell is aware that damage can take years to surface. Wednesday’s apparent suicide of former San Diego linebacker Junior Seau reminded us of Dave Duerson, a retired Chicago Bears star who took his life in similar fashion with a gunshot to the chest in February last year.
We don’t know why Seau shot himself there, but Duerson did so to leave his brain to science. Researchers discovered the same trauma-induced disease — chronic traumatic encephalopathy — found in more than 20 deceased players. Duerson’s family has filed one of the numerous concussion-related lawsuits against the NFL. Former Atlanta Falcons safety Ray Easterling was part of another case before he committed suicide in April.
