Sometimes The Solution is Obvious...

We are witnessing the death of football. Well, maybe not. Maybe they will eventually wrap the players in bubblewrap and they can bounce and roll around without fear of injury. No, that would definitely destroy it as a spectator sport.

You realize, of course, I am talking about the recent settlement by the NFL with former players. You have to feel sorry for these players, they had (apparently) no way of knowing they could suffer such injuries.  What did they think the helmets were for, then? Maybe they thought they always had blackouts, extreme headaches, dizziness, and confusion. Maybe they never connected those symptoms and that behavior with the pounding their heads took when tackling, being tackled, and thrown to the ground. Maybe they just thought it  was normal. After all, most of the players started out as young kids in Pop Warner leagues.

I talked about this some time ago... See Who is Really Responsible?

I implied the NFL should go back to leather helmets and shoulder pads as the only protection because the evolution of the player protection has, I maintain, made things worse. I no longer think the NFL should reduce the player protection to what it originally was. I think they should use the Rugby model. Get rid of the helmets, the padding, the "flak jackets"... get rid of it all.

Trust me, no football player will ever "spear" an opponent again. No football player will fly through the air to slam into a receiver.