Art Monk vs. NFL

[SmootSmack]

Hall of Fame receiver Art Monk latest to sue NFL - Washington Times

[mooby]

This should be interesting.

[skinsfan69]

This is really starting to get old. Sorry but some of these players are just trying to get paid. Not saying this is the case with Monk but they all knew the risks.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by skinsfan69

This is really starting to get old. Sorry but some of these players are just trying to get paid. Not saying this is the case with Monk but they all knew the risks.

Not so sure about that.

What we know today about concussions is far different than 20 years ago.

[Daseal]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Not so sure about that.

What we know today about concussions is far different than 20 years ago.

So should you be able to sue a doctor 20 years after an operation because there's more information about the disease and they have better methods? No, it's part of the medical process. When it comes down to it, most of these guys are looking for a payday after mismanaging their money.

Football is a tough sport. It's tough on both body and mind to play -- and that's why I don't complain that they get paid a kings ransom. It is a violent sport that causes long term damage. We've known that for a long time. You can't possibly think that slamming your body into someone else at full speed hundreds or thousands of times a year isn't going to have lasting effects. We don't need modern medicine to reaffirm that.

It's too bad that so many of the old players are having issues. I have a lot more understanding for the guys that had to work another job while playing football. Who made the league on their back before the big contracts. But Art got paid a lot of money to sacrifice his body. Give them the collectively bargained health care and thank them for their service.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by Daseal

So should you be able to sue a doctor 20 years after an operation because there's more information about the disease and they have better methods? No, it's part of the medical process.

Yeah this is the key point for me. The only way the players have a case in my mind is if they can show that the NFL knew concussions were dangerous at the time and didn't do enough to prevent them.

We know more today about them, that doesn't mean the NFL knew about it back then and hid it.

I think the players are just using this as leverage to get the NFL to settle on better benefits for retired players.

[CrustyRedskin]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Yeah this is the key point for me. The only way the players have a case in my mind is if they can show that the NFL knew concussions were dangerous at the time and didn't do enough to prevent them.

We know more today about them, that doesn't mean the NFL knew about it back then and hid it.

I think the players are just using this as leverage to get the NFL to settle on better benefits for retired players.

I agree but how in the heck could you prove that, talk about a witch hunt. But im sure Godell could find somebody to finger!!

[BleedBurgundy]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Yeah this is the key point for me. The only way the players have a case in my mind is if they can show that the NFL knew concussions were dangerous at the time and didn't do enough to prevent them.

We know more today about them, that doesn't mean the NFL knew about it back then and hid it.

I think the players are just using this as leverage to get the NFL to settle on better benefits for retired players.

short of a smoking gun, they really don't have much of a chance at this... unless they get in front of a jury. I have zero faith in the average citizen to be able to decide a case based on its merits and not emotional attachment.

[zeesson]

Originally Posted by Daseal

So should you be able to sue a doctor 20 years after an operation because there's more information about the disease and they have better methods? No, it's part of the medical process. When it comes down to it, most of these guys are looking for a payday after mismanaging their money.

Football is a tough sport. It's tough on both body and mind to play -- and that's why I don't complain that they get paid a kings ransom. It is a violent sport that causes long term damage. We've known that for a long time. You can't possibly think that slamming your body into someone else at full speed hundreds or thousands of times a year isn't going to have lasting effects. We don't need modern medicine to reaffirm that.

It's too bad that so many of the old players are having issues. I have a lot more understanding for the guys that had to work another job while playing football. Who made the league on their back before the big contracts. But Art got paid a lot of money to sacrifice his body. Give them the collectively bargained health care and thank them for their service.

Please listen carefully. Your analogy is a bad one. They are not simply filing suing because there is new knowledge that wasn't available 20 years ago, they are suing because the knowledge that WAS available 20 years ago was intentionally kept from them by the NFL. They denied, right up until 2010, that there was any link at all between concussions suffered from NFL play, and the dementia and other various ailments that past veterans had suffered. They denied it because they didn't want to pay for it. The same greedy ****ers that initiated a lockout because 65 percent of the profits were not enough for them; and then played a public relations game that made that lockout look like a strike. It's people like yourself that fell for this trick, because you... you know what? I'm not going to start throwing personal insults. That isn't the direction I want this post to go. I just get frustrated when misinformation is spread by people who don't have all the facts. Not knowing all the facts is forgivable. Being aware of your lack of knowledge, and not doing anything to correct it is a crime against having a brain.

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by zeesson

Please listen carefully. Your analogy is a bad one. They are not simply filing suing because there is new knowledge that wasn't available 20 years ago, they are suing because the knowledge that WAS available 20 years ago was intentionally kept from them by the NFL. They denied, right up until 2010, that there was any link at all between concussions suffered from NFL play, and the dementia and other various ailments that past veterans had suffered. They denied it because they didn't want to pay for it. The same greedy ****ers that initiated a lockout because 65 percent of the profits were not enough for them; and then played a public relations game that made that lockout look like a strike. It's people like yourself that fell for this trick, because you... you know what? I'm not going to start throwing personal insults. That isn't the direction I want this post to go. I just get frustrated when misinformation is spread by people who don't have all the facts. Not knowing all the facts is forgivable. Being aware of your lack of knowledge, and not doing anything to correct it is a crime against having a brain.

It's simplistic to lay this only at the feet of the NFL, certainly players colliding at full force would not think there were no lasting effects. Proof of that is that players today are far more aware, and still choose to play the game. We haven't seen a mass exodus of players as medical facts are released to confirm the common sense facts of yesteryear. Stories of the Raiders taking all sorts of grab bag meds to first hyper strengthen and then dull the pain afterwards have existed since the 70's.

I am not relieving the past NFL of burden for any time where they specifically refused to release proven science, but I doubt that is as far reaching as you claim it is.

As for the lockout diatribe, that's ridiculous but you are welcome to relive that debate here.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Not so sure about that.

What we know today about concussions is far different than 20 years ago.

Maybe, maybe not. How can the NFL be held responsible if this is the case?

I am torn on this. On one hand I think "Nobody knew how bad this stuff can be so how can anyone be held responsible?" on the other I think "If the NFL really knew this stuff then why wasn't it a bigger deal in general?"

I think I mostly believe these players as a whole are as responsible for this as the NFL is so these lawsuits are ridiculous. Until I see some evidence the NFL league and teams made some concerted effort to knowingly endanger players then I sorta don't want to hear it.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

Maybe, maybe not. How can the NFL be held responsible if this is the case?

I am torn on this. On one hand I think "Nobody knew how bad this stuff can be so how can anyone be held responsible?" on the other I think "If the NFL really knew this stuff then why wasn't it a bigger deal in general?"

I think I mostly believe these players as a whole are as responsible for this as the NFL is so these lawsuits are ridiculous. Until I see some evidence the NFL league and teams made some concerted effort to knowingly endanger players then I sorta don't want to hear it.

I'm not saying they should or shouldn't be held responsible. Just saying it's not fair to say the players knew all the risks at that time. And I'm not saying even the league knew, but I guess the point was maybe they should have.

[GusFrerotte]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Not so sure about that.

What we know today about concussions is far different than 20 years ago.

A concussion was deemed serious enough back then as now. Maybe the coming of the MRI, etc has helped diagnose how serious it is, etc, but a shot to the head was always deemed dangerous. If not, why the development of hard shelled helmets? This is just another payday for these guys on the heels of the Seau tragedy. Should all of those wounded/maimed veterans of Iraq/Afghanistan sue the US Army for them getting injured? They signed up for the military and common sense should have told them what was going to be expected of them in war. You can say the same thing with regards to firefighters and cops, and they get paid way less than NFL football players. Sorry, but you play you pay and it doesn't matter what sport you play in. Look at MLB catchers and knee problems. See any of them suing MLB? Or how about hockey players losing teeth, concussions, etc? You never hear about that because these guys took the dangers in consideration, but decided to live life and play the sport they love. This is just high profile ambulance chasing, and if it doesn't get nipped in the bud, all it is going to mean is fans will pay more out of their pocket somehow.

[imaskin4life]

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[MTK]

Originally Posted by GusFrerotte

A concussion was deemed serious enough back then as now. Maybe the coming of the MRI, etc has helped diagnose how serious it is, etc, but a shot to the head was always deemed dangerous. If not, why the development of hard shelled helmets? This is just another payday for these guys on the heels of the Seau tragedy. Should all of those wounded/maimed veterans of Iraq/Afghanistan sue the US Army for them getting injured? They signed up for the military and common sense should have told them what was going to be expected of them in war. You can say the same thing with regards to firefighters and cops, and they get paid way less than NFL football players. Sorry, but you play you pay and it doesn't matter what sport you play in. Look at MLB catchers and knee problems. See any of them suing MLB? Or how about hockey players losing teeth, concussions, etc? You never hear about that because these guys took the dangers in consideration, but decided to live life and play the sport they love. This is just high profile ambulance chasing, and if it doesn't get nipped in the bud, all it is going to mean is fans will pay more out of their pocket somehow.

Gotta disagree. Players are held out of games these days until they pass an independent test. There's much more awareness now vs 10 or 20 years ago. And there's a heck of a lot more research going on studying the long term effects as far as memory loss and early onset dementia.

And this class action started long before Seau's death.