Quote:
Originally Posted by BigHairedAristocrat
Three thoughts:
1) I hate when people say r.i.p. it's dumb, cliche, and meaningless.
2) by reading some of th comments here, it sounds like some of you have the position that the sad thing is we should have paid these older players more money before they killed themselves.
3) air traffic controllers, white male physicians, black security guards, and female artists, all have higher suicde rates than former professional athletes. Its trendy to correlate suicides with concussions, but the truth is, 11 out of every 100,000 deaths in the United States is due to suicide. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in this country.... Is it all because of concussions? Please. Former nfl players are at no higher risk of suicide than any one else in similar circumstances.
NFL players are people, just like you and me. People have problems. Some people can't deal and chose suicide.
This whole concussion-suicide link is a pseudo-scientific, media perpetuated delusion that exists because sane rationale people like you and me look for excuses to explain why someone would do something we can't fathom doing. It's no different than a grieving parent choosing to believe that their child died because God needed another angel in heaven. If God has the power to create the universe, he doesn't need to kill a baby to make an angel. Concussions damage your brain, but they don't alter thought patterns.
Google Dave Duerson and you'll find he had a history of personal problems and domestic abuse. In the years before his suicide, he went through a divorce and his company essentially went bankrupt. He was destitute and overwhelmed with personal problems... but that had nothing to do with his suicide. It was the concussions that did it. That's the better story anyway.
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1)RIP is a consoling phrase. It has a value to those who read/hear it and concur within there heart and soul. it may have deeper value, some certainly believe it does, but even if it serves only as a sincere expression of care and concern for one who has passed, it is a significant phrase.
2) I didn't reread the thread, but I would be shocked if the majority of posts reflected the attitude of pay them more, and be done with it.
3) I agree there are more factors in suicide, but unless you have a degree in brain medicine, I rhink it is a bit naive to say that there can't be a link. Other groups may find different increases in risks, and I am sure those are being studied to see if some thing specific could be identified. For football players, one of those things is likely head trauma. as for the troubles he was having, I don't know his life, maybe the head trauma impacted that which led him down to a hopeless point. because ultimately that is what drives a person to suicide, having more belief that his absence will do no harm than hope that his presence will do some good.