Twitter: Former Cowboy Bill Bates struggling with dementia

Redball Express

All Aboard!!!
Messages
16,253
Reaction score
12,758
Sadly, there is no recovery from this. Wish the government would take this more serious and get medical scientists to look more into finding some solutions to better counter the onset of any traumatic brain injuries.
Playing touch instead of tackle is about the only answer.

But that risk of injury has existed since the Roman Collisium days.

And we all are drawn to witness it and be entertained by it.

I can not stand hearing Dorsett suffering, do not want to hear it.

Hopefully we will advance to having mechanical players run by human players that will eliminate the injury part of the game to the human body.

I occasionally watch that TV show Battle of the Bots. Interesting show.boys. and fun to watch and see the personality of the teams behind the bots.

One day..one day.
 

InTheZone

Well-Known Member
Messages
7,520
Reaction score
7,122
Yes, that's the one and only thing that's made me consider no longer watching football. I feel bad that guys I loved to watch playing the game are suffering for it now. Tony Dorsett and Craig Morton are also experiencing negative effects. Same thing with some non-Cowboy players that I admired such as Jim Plunkett. I still watch the game, though sometimes I wonder if I should.

Prayers and best wishes to Bates, but this kind of thing happens when the league, coaches, and players enable each other to continue playing on the field after injuring their brain. You have to let your body heal before you go back out. Doing damage to an injured brain is exponentially worse than hitting your head just once.

The reason I highlighted your post is that I feel you're taking this too far. If you oppose football because of this then you must be against every dangerous occupation. Concussion protocols in the game right now will prevent most (I can't throw a specific number) of these effects older players are experiencing now. If I had to guess, sitting players and requiring them to pass baseline tests on a weekly basis as they do now may end up preventing almost all of the issues we see from players just 10+ years ago.
 

DuncanIso

Well-Known Member
Messages
9,453
Reaction score
6,000
Yes, that's the one and only thing that's made me consider no longer watching football. I feel bad that guys I loved to watch playing the game are suffering for it now. Tony Dorsett and Craig Morton are also experiencing negative effects. Same thing with some non-Cowboy players that I admired such as Jim Plunkett. I still watch the game, though sometimes I wonder if I should.

It isn't just the NFL.

I watch a lot of NHL hockey. (LETS GO PENS!)

They have some of the same issues with concussions and CTE
 

atlantacowboy

Well-Known Member
Messages
18,076
Reaction score
24,789
CowboysZone ULTIMATE Fan

Reverend Conehead

Well-Known Member
Messages
9,919
Reaction score
11,788
Prayers and best wishes to Bates, but this kind of thing happens when the league, coaches, and players enable each other to continue playing on the field after injuring their brain. You have to let your body heal before you go back out. Doing damage to an injured brain is exponentially worse than hitting your head just once.

The reason I highlighted your post is that I feel you're taking this too far. If you oppose football because of this then you must be against every dangerous occupation. Concussion protocols in the game right now will prevent most (I can't throw a specific number) of these effects older players are experiencing now. If I had to guess, sitting players and requiring them to pass baseline tests on a weekly basis as they do now may end up preventing almost all of the issues we see from players just 10+ years ago.

I haven't resolved to quit watching. I'm not there yet. The head injury situation has simply made me question whether I should. In other words, I feel ambivalent. It makes me feel bad that I enjoyed watching Tony Doresett play football and now he struggles with life due to brain injury. I feel as if I contributed to that. Then again, I love the game and it's taught me a lot about life. So I have totally mixed feelings. I don't want these athletes whom I liked -- and even loved -- to have to suffer through life. I feel bad about it.
 
Top