Why Do NFL Players Avoid Injuries?

Injuries are the silent stalkers that should be present in the back of any professional athlete’s mind. Nine in ten retired NFL players experienced concussions during their careers, while nearly two-thirds continue feeling symptoms according to a Washington Post survey (Jenkins). One of these players, Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett, doesn’t know the number of concussions he received in his playing days, but he says, “[My] quality of life has changed drastically and it deteriorates every day” (Weinbaum). Dorsett suffers from CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a buildup of an abnormal protein in the brain that causes depressive thinking and suicidal behavior (Weinbaum). The question every NFL player needs to consider is: Do I want to be healthy long into my glory years, or would I rather spend my retirement with severe …show more content…
NFL players perceive concussions as having few short-term effects that affect ability to play, which is only sometimes true (Flanagan). Granted, concussion symptoms often recede after a few short weeks or months, while violent knee injuries always have a recovery time of a year or more. However, for some, concussion symptoms such as memory loss, forgetfulness, depression and anxiety, linger for months or years and transform into long-term afflictions (Flanagan). This occurs for as many as 20% of individuals who suffer from concussions (Flanagan). Twenty percent might not seem like a significant number, but when a professional football player receives countless blows to the head, and possibly multiple concussions a year, this number becomes noteworthy. Would anyone wish that horror upon themselves? No, no one would want to suffer from that horrible fate, which can seriously impact one’s quality of life in the