Yahoo: Eric Dickerson: “The NFL is another No Good entity.”

[Rayman70]

My dude you are making zero sense here.
You can't know the risks when ZERO people knew the biggest risk of all even existed.

They knew. Head on collisions were never deemed safe lol. If he claims he didnt realize that then Eric needs to get his scholarship $ back from SMU...then again, they likely PAID HIM...so scratch that. ...its like saying well I didn't know I would get cancer from smoking or chewing Tobacco. lol...its a SELF EVIDENT RISK. The same thing is true in gladiator sports. It really doesn't need 2 be said...its a known.

 

[RonnieT24]

CTE wasnt a thing back then I agree..but its widely known how violent the sport is and was especially then. He went to college right? SMU is a school right? He knew the risk. He signed up for it, took the money. No one made him. He can gripe all he wants, but he took the $ and in doing so he inherited and accepted all the risk. He needs to move on. Football is very risky and violent and water is wet. THEY ARE ALL KNOWNS.The NFL owes him nuthin. Its been great to him.

There has been a mountain of evidence that the NFL knew what the risks of CTE were decades ago but suppressed that information. Even to this day the league places $$$ faaaar ahead of player safety.. Forcing all these guys to play on 3 days rest is just plain criminal. It's one thing to have guys do it once a year.. But doing it to every team, every year? That's just garbage. By the way, the NFL pension is pretty pathetic.. Once a guy gets his 3 years he is eligible $21,360/year .. The reported average is $43,000/year. For guys who made 7 figures a year that aint even pocket change. Dickerson may be a jerk but he aint wrong about this. The NFL needs to take better care of the guys upon whose backs it was built. But even beyond the pension payments.. the medical care issue is even worse. A game that asked you to be in 70 car wrecks a week for 16 weeks doesn't provide medical care after it's used you up? What the hell? What I don't understand is how the players keep voting for CBAs that screw them so bad..

 

[jrumann59]

I'm beginning to think a number of you guys are slow learners...
There are very different levels of risk.
Risking an ACL tear is very different from lifelong brain injury taht causes you to harm others or yourself.

If you guys can't understand that then perhaps you too have CTE.

Uh helmets. Anything requiring a helmet usually means possibility of traumatic head injury, riding a bike, riding a motor cycle, construction sites, skateboarding, etc. Just because the science or opinions are unclear football has always had helmets well maybe not in the early early days.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

Nobody has to play pro football, if you do you know the risks involved, ya don't work at a pig farm complaining about the smell.

Did they know all of the subsequent risks? I'd argue no...and he's more or less talking about the lack of health care for guys

I don't know...given how much the NFL is worth, doesn't seem hard to me for owners to take care of former players

 

[RaZon]

Did they know all of the subsequent risks? I'd argue no...and he's more or less talking about the lack of health care for guys

I don't know...given how much the NFL is worth, doesn't seem hard to me for owners to take care of former players

My point was people know what pro football won't do for them, so if worried about life after your career is over be sure to save some $$$$$ for that life after football.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

My point was people know what pro football won't do for them, so if worried about life after your career is over be sure to save some $$$$$ for that life after football.

I don’t think there is an amount that most of the players from the 80s could save that would do them much good when it comes to some of the heath issues directly related to football

 

[RaZon]

I don’t think there is an amount that most of the players from the 80s could save that would do them much good when it comes to some of the heath issues directly related to football

Well then best not play pro football if worried about life after.

 

[RonnieT24]

Well then best not play pro football if worried about life after.

Pretty empty proclamation given that any one of us would have jumped at the chance to play if the opportunity had been presented.

 

[RaZon]

Pretty empty proclamation given that any one of us would have jumped at the chance to play if the opportunity had been presented.

I agree, so forget worrying about life after football, you can only blame you.

Most families it takes two working, so plan for that retirement from football which won't be as an old man, try late 30's if lucky.

 

[Rayman70]

There has been a mountain of evidence that the NFL knew what the risks of CTE were decades ago but suppressed that information. Even to this day the league places $$$ faaaar ahead of player safety.. Forcing all these guys to play on 3 days rest is just plain criminal. It's one thing to have guys do it once a year.. But doing it to every team, every year? That's just garbage. By the way, the NFL pension is pretty pathetic.. Once a guy gets his 3 years he is eligible $21,360/year .. The reported average is $43,000/year. For guys who made 7 figures a year that aint even pocket change. Dickerson may be a jerk but he aint wrong about this. The NFL needs to take better care of the guys upon whose backs it was built. But even beyond the pension payments.. the medical care issue is even worse. A game that asked you to be in 70 car wrecks a week for 16 weeks doesn't provide medical care after it's used you up? What the hell? What I don't understand is how the players keep voting for CBAs that screw them so bad..

why or how do the players keep voting for the CBA? $$$$$$ . That simple. The qwik payday.

 

[Rayman70]

Eric took the $$$.

 

[darthseinfeld]

CTE wasnt a thing back then I agree..but its widely known how violent the sport is and was especially then. He went to college right? SMU is a school right? He knew the risk. He signed up for it, took the money. No one made him. He can gripe all he wants, but he took the $ and in doing so he inherited and accepted all the risk. He needs to move on. Football is very risky and violent and water is wet. THEY ARE ALL KNOWNS.The NFL owes him nuthin. Its been great to him.

Does he understand the risks of TBI? I have TBI from when I served. Almost 20 suicides from my unit the past 10 years resulting from TBI. Not only did know one understand the dangers of it prior to the GWOT vets, but no one even knew how much of a risk of brain damage military service was.

We all knew there are risks associated with either profession, but sometimes its risks you dont realize you are taking that are the worst. 'Nam vets knew nothing about TBI, and never got compensated for it like GWOT vets did. The number of 'Nam vets with brain damage is probably staggering

 

[DandyDon52]

Eric knew what he signed ^ for. Its a risky gladiator sport. Its violent by its very nature. He's sad and bitter. Yes I 2 think the NFL is a bad nefarious entity on many issues. Many Im not allowed to talk about here because they aren't PC. We all know where I'm going here. But what Eric is talking about is pure stupidity. He knew the risk.

they didnt know about cte, and probably didnt think about degrading health as they age.
The nfl should help them all with health care, and with a decent pension. NFL has plenty of money, they are just greedy.

Cte though would not come from just pro football, it would come from HS, college too, and maybe some from private life like fights drugs, alcohol etc.

I doubt colleges or HS tell players about cte and that it is a risk if they play the sport.

 

[DandyDon52]

Does he understand the risks of TBI? I have TBI from when I served. Almost 20 suicides from my unit the past 10 years resulting from TBI. Not only did know one understand the dangers of it prior to the GWOT vets, but no one even knew how much of a risk of brain damage military service was.

We all knew there are risks associated with either profession, but sometimes its risks you dont realize you are taking that are the worst. 'Nam vets knew nothing about TBI, and never got compensated for it like GWOT vets did. The number of 'Nam vets with brain damage is probably staggering

I dont know what tbi is, but combat vets should get different and better benefits than non combat vets.
The more dangerous, the more benefits they should get. I think nam vets got screwed in general. That was the craziest war ever. Being sent there
was really bad.

 

[Pape]

What a coincidence, he happens to be in the HOF.

amazing coincidence, isn't it?

 

[Pape]

I dont know what tbi is, .

traumatic brain injury

 

[darthseinfeld]

I dont know what tbi is, but combat vets should get different and better benefits than non combat vets.
The more dangerous, the more benefits they should get. I think nam vets got screwed in general. That was the craziest war ever. Being sent there
was really bad.

TBI=Traumatic Brain Injury

 

[CouchCoach]

All one needs to know about Dickerson is that he showed up at SMU driving a maroon Corvette and let people know how he got it, then helps the NCAA by blowing the whistle on A&M. I have no problem with these athletes taking whatever these boosters want to give them but they should have waited until he actually showed up before giving him the Vette. He also didn't have to help the NCAA, they couldn't do anything to him.

Dickerson is just one of those way back players jealous of the money and the FA these players have now. Hey, I'd be pretty pissed too if I had a bum body from playing for cents on the dollar compared to what these guys get today but they weren't blind, they knew what they were joining up for and the type people they were playing for.

 

[MajesticRey]

He's not wrong. Businesses are always going to look out for themselves.
The NFL has built a monster on the backs of guys who didn't make big money and didn't know all the true health risks.

But the NFLPA has stepped up the push for better pensions and such of late and hopefully that continues when the new TV contracts are signed.
Insane money will be there for everyone so no reason not to take care of these older guys who have to spend the final 10-15 years of life barely able to walk.

My gripe is that if players need to be properly compensated to account for potential exponential health bills, why THE HELL does the NFL have a salary cap? Or at the very least, why is it not a higher cap? Or make it so certain positions can only make a max amount per year to avoid ridiculous contracts that negatively impact the potential gains of other players?

 

[Flamma]

All one needs to know about Dickerson is that he showed up at SMU driving a maroon Corvette and let people know how he got it, then helps the NCAA by blowing the whistle on A&M. I have no problem with these athletes taking whatever these boosters want to give them but they should have waited until he actually showed up before giving him the Vette. He also didn't have to help the NCAA, they couldn't do anything to him.

Dickerson is just one of those way back players jealous of the money and the FA these players have now. Hey, I'd be pretty pissed too if I had a bum body from playing for cents on the dollar compared to what these guys get today but they weren't blind, they knew what they were joining up for and the type people they were playing for.

Was it because of him SMU got the death penalty? That was a long time ago, I forget the reason why. But I do agree with you. He does seem to be bitter about something.