vikings/nfl

Million dollar athletes want to enjoy their wealth with a clear head in later life, and well paid doctors are going to back them all the way. There are going to be some big changes in the next 10 years to the NFL.

Players won't be able to prove their injuries didn't occur in High school or college or Pro's.

I'd just like to applaud the STrib for this article and one or two previous editorials from Souhan on the same topic. I love watching the NFL, and as a native Minnesotan who hasn't lived in the state in 15 or so years, Vikings fandom (and a lot of other stuff!) is a pretty core part of my Minnesotanness, so to speak. But it's becoming abundantly clear that football--at all levels--needs to change, and soon. We fans want it to stay exciting and we revel in a great hit--god knows I have--but given what we are learning about the brain trauma of retired players the current rules must be altered in some way. I appreciate these sort of articles appearing in the sports section, even if a lot of fans would rather not think about the consequences of a game many of us love to watch.

But what is most important is that we use tax dollars to build a stadium for this "sport" so that our kids will long to, one day, do battle on the violent stage. We are so hypocritical.

Great point made by coach Grant that a lot of this is helped bymgood coaching. Teaching kids proper tackling, with the shoulder and not the head. How may of youmguys remember your coach yelling "wrap 'em up!" during practice drills? Now you see players flying around, launch

Make the penalties more severe. If you knock a guy out with an illegal hit to the head your out as long as he is without pay.

Football will always have a violent element. But collision style hitting really wasn't part of the initial equation in the game. The game originated with 'tackling' - where the defensive player siezed the ball carrier and essentially wrestled him to the turf - similar to Rugby tackling. Today- NFL trades on collision hits- features them in their promos and of course the ever important ESPN highlight features. You'll never see NFL part with collision hitting. But, if Rugby style tackling was taught at the youth level and enforced all the way through to the pros as the accepted method of stopping the ball carrier, concussions would likekly drop by 2/3. It would still carrier a violent element in any case though.

If football needs to change, and I am not saying it doesn't, then so do baseball, basketball, hockey, rugby, soccer (especially heading the ball), track & field (especially pole vaulting), figure skating, playground equipment, walking in the winter , fishing (Okay, maybe I am the only one stupid enough to get a concussion fishing, but those docks are slippery:)), boxing (duh), wrestling, gymnastics, lacrosse, dodgeball, automobile racing, weightlifting, participating on the Jerry Springer show, etc.

Steps have been and must continue to be taken at the amatuer level. Once you're getting paid (NFL), you know what you're signing up for. Don't want concussions? Don't play. Retire from the game. These lawsuits are rediculous.

So these NFL players will take part in bountys to hurt other players, and alot of players are defending this action. Then in the next breath will back the players sueing the NFL for concussions. Maybe I need a concussion to understand this thinking.