Thoughtful op-ed on perspective in today's football news

Opinion: News of Seau's death puts Saints bounty penalties in perspective .wwltv.com


Posted on May 2, 2012

Bradley Handwerger / WWLTV.com Sports Reporter

Email: bhandwerger@wwltv.com
Twitter: @wwltvsports

Opinion/Analysis



Sometimes we as a society lose perspective, blinded by our own passions and interests to the bigger picture.

For nearly two hours Wednesday, the sports world buzzed with reaction to the penalties the NFL levied on two current and two former Saints players for their participation in a pay-for-performance program that included doling out money for hits labeled as “knockouts” and “cart-offs.”

There was condemnation from players toward NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, anger at a process that they’ve deemed unfair.

There was shock from fans, angry as well at the NFL’s leader for levying penalties that will keep their head coach and a defensive leader off the field for an entire season.

And then we all got perspective.

TMZ first reported, and the North County (Calif.) Times later confirmed that former Chargers linebacker Junior Seau's death by gunshot wound to the chest is being investigated as a suicide.

Penalties and missing a season of football is one thing, especially when millions of dollars are at stake.

Life and death, though, is another thing, the most important thing.

On a day when player safety and health was pushed to the forefront through the Saints, it was kept there by Seau’s death.
NFL players, just like other athletes, have problems when they’re finished playing the game. For decades, it’s the only thing they’ve known and then suddenly it’s gone.

Players are tossed away when they’re abilities fade and some have a hard time coping, becoming depressed after being dismissed from the game they’ve loved for so long.
There must be a better way, a program initiated, to help with this transition from the game to the real world.
There’s also another problem the NFL is facing right now – former players committing suicide and the chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that results. CTE is the brain trauma that in the past decade is being tied to hits to the head, including in football.
It should be noted that thus far, there is no connection of CTE with Seau’s apparent suicide.
Even if Seau’s death is unrelated to CTE, perspective should be back in full force today.
Whatever you think of the bounty penalties, the fact that these program’s still go on is a problem.

Football is a violent game. There’s no need to make it any more so.
This is the lesson learned Wednesday, one that came in a much harsher than anyone expected or wanted to find out.