Comments on: Hall of Famer Lem Barney wishes he’d never played football

By: uraxcrunner

uraxcrunner — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 03:42:04 +0000

Pretty strong statement he sounds like he is very very serious. The years take their toll on the body you play now but pay later. Hope his and many others health remains good for many more years.

By: TheWizard

TheWizard — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 02:52:22 +0000

Some of us did not have a choice in what we did between 1967 and 1974. It was call the military draft and Vietnam. Wanna trade places?

Wonder who the 31 morons are who gave this a thumbs down……

By: nflfollower

nflfollower — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 01:23:07 +0000

We all regret a few things. If a hall of fame career is your regret, consider yourself lucky. Plenty of 66 year olds who never played football have worse health than lem barney.

By: djstat

djstat — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:18:27 +0000

I don’t believe him

By: leatherhelmets

leatherhelmets — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 20:48:39 +0000

So true Lem. Playing football is a bad idea. I feel bad for the old timers who didn’t even make great money. Now they struggle with health issues.

We were taught that tough hard nose football was great. Now we see that it kills people.

By: artvan15

artvan15 — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:25:51 +0000

If Barney could play today he would. He would be no different than all the other guys today. They no the risks and yet they play. It’s all about the money and the game. None of them are thinking anything about their future health.

By: chawk12thman

chawk12thman — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 18:36:33 +0000

But would he play in this day in age, is the better question? The money, Doctors and rule changes have improved over his time.

By: briang123

briang123 — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 17:35:52 +0000

Stop it. Just trying to get sympathy for his lawsuit. The 25 year old Barney would have called the 66-year old an old geezer that needed to shut up. Really, how many players today that know all about the risks are retiring at 24 voluntarily? None.

By: lks311

lks311 — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 17:31:46 +0000

To the guy that said, “that’s why he wasn’t a Steeler…”, the Steelers were probably the worst franchise in Pro Football during the majority of Barney’s career. Only at the end of his his playing days did that putrid organization start to become what we know today. Check your history young man. PS, karma’a coming for you.

By: weaselpuppy

weaselpuppy — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:43:56 +0000

I am shocked, actually. Lem, along with Bill Freehan and now Mayor of Detroit Dave Bing were my first sports heroes….and Lem Barney has always been as far as I remember a guy in support of his experience, at least as far as supporting the Lions organization. And like the other two gentleman above (one of whom isn’t in his HOF…travesty) is a class act through and through.

To find this out now is shocking….one thing we all do (or should do) is over time re-evaluate our held positions and beliefs based on new information…if that’s what this is…then bravo.

He was essentially Deion Sanders that could tackle….huge in the return game, nose for the end zone, shutdown corner that no one threw at after the first few years of his career….plus he hit people hard….likely had the best rookie season a DB ever had….I hope he continues to enjoy good health and the league supports a way to assist the former players with medical issues….

By: realfan826

realfan826 — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:43:25 +0000

You would be irrelevant if it weren’t for the NFL. Just because you are broke now and didn’t manage your money don’t say you would’ve never done the best part of your life. Anyone of these people would love the chance to play in the NFL. Oh and the guy about the factory workers is right!

By: drunkenagitator

drunkenagitator — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:41:25 +0000

Why is it that NFL fans, way more than any other pro sports fans, actively hate the stars and players of the past so much? Why do NFL fans insist on comparing football to military service? Why do they denigrate the accomplishments of players from the past so frequently? Why does it upset them so whenever a retired players says something negative about the sport? My opinion: the vast majority of NFL fans are knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing, overly-reactionary simpletons incapable of grasping any concepts beyond, “duh-uh-uh, he score a touchdown! Yay!”. Especially 90% of the fans here.

By: switch123

switch123 — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:14:59 +0000

The bottom line, Nobody twisted his arm to play. When it was good, the bright lights, Cigars, Women, and money better then the average worker, there was no complaints than.

You choosed to PLAY.

By: bluepike

bluepike — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:05:20 +0000

Lem, you were a hell of a player and you’re a fine human being, but really – all of the players went into it with their eyes open. Maybe you all should have been coal miners – this way you would have had “black lung” disease and your pension stolen by your union.

By: 1972wasalongtimeago

1972wasalongtimeago — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:44:19 +0000

If I had to do it all over, I’d have invented Facebook

By: dcapettini

dcapettini — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:43:54 +0000

I turned 66 this week. I only played football one year in high school and spent most of my life as a desk worker. I feel like I took pretty good care of myself, but I wish that I was able to work full time. I knew dozens of guys, who never experienced a concussion, who are either gone or might as well be. Lem Barney, as great a football player that he was, is an idiot.

By: mjkelly77

mjkelly77 — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:42:54 +0000

Every athlete has selective memory as to the opportunities that were presented to him. In all honesty, if Lem hadn’t played football, he’d be asking someone this very minute “would you like fries with that?”

By: jeremycrowhurst

jeremycrowhurst — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:40:37 +0000

He saw people suffer devastating injuries as a rookie, and kept playing. He saw people suffer devastating injuries his next year, and kept playing. He saw people suffer devastating injuries in his third year, and kept playing. And so on.

Sorry, Lem. I know you said all this so your lawyer would have a great opening statement, but to quote that noted philosopher Shania Twain, that don’t impress me much.

By: bluepike

bluepike — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:20:49 +0000

steelernationsparksjealousy –

Who are you kidding? Your entire offensive line helped win 4 Super Bowls while they were all using steroids. The only franchise to ever cheat “en masse” like that. The Bengals strength coach at the time refused to put his team on PED’s back then even though it made him very angry and also gave the Steelers a competitive edge.

Look at that offensive line now – they’re either dead, close to it or disabled to a certain degree. Did it take real MEN to take steroids? How do these MEN like it now?

By: ranksarot

ranksarot — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:19:00 +0000

Can’t blame him, if I had to play for Detroit I would regret it to

By: yahmule

yahmule — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 14:48:14 +0000

As per usual, anybody daring to criticize the NFL machine, even someone intimately knowledgable of the inner workings, is met with derision and defensiveness by a huge percentage of fans. Reality is an unwelcome intrusion into the way people want things to be, so they respond with ridicule. This mindset is developed beginning in grade school where true historical fact is sacrificed upon the altar of American exceptionalism.

By: muckfodell

muckfodell — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 14:44:13 +0000

mrlaloosh says: Mar 24, 2012 9:41 AM

Wow! You’re 66 and have nerves tingling.? Welcome to my world.

—————————————————

And my world as well at the “young” age of 53.

But thanks to Lem for some great NFL memories.

By: catman42

catman42 — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 14:44:01 +0000

Isn’t it a bit odd that anytime a lawsuit is ongoing the people involved say the right things to enhance there status with the suit……….of course he would never had played football, with a multi million suit ongoing. OF COURSE all the old timers with issues will sue because they didn’t have the $ being made by todays players. Sad on all levels. There are a few old guys that respect the game and knew the risks. SURE they will say we didn’t know this..or we didn’t know that… BUT football, boxing have risks because you get hit in the HEAD!!!!!!!

By: nineroutsider

nineroutsider — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 14:38:07 +0000

Jim Harbaugh, Ronnie Lott, Joe Montana…they all walk with a slight limp, from the game undoubtedly, yet they all still love ball. Ask all of Harbaugh’s players…he wishes he could suit up.

My dad is 66, never played ball, and has all kinds of trouble; getting old sucks.

I will admit though that organized football is way different from street ball for those of you that never played. I hated being a linemen, hitting sleds and each other all day. Never got concussed and never had a better workout.

By: imjinbrdgr

imjinbrdgr — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 14:32:06 +0000

I’m 56. I wake up every morning with back pain and have to stretch out for 20 minutes before I feel half way normal. Even then I have pain down my legs and pop Vicodin all day. All from working 30 years as a Tool & Die Maker. I wish I’d never been a Tool & Die Maker. I wish I’d played pro football.
Who can I sue? Life’s a bitch Lem. You make choices. Live with them.

By: mikgaes

mikgaes — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 14:29:18 +0000

Lem Barney was a great player. One of the best ever at his position.

By: 11inthebox

11inthebox — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 14:26:24 +0000

Wow. Seeing a lot negative comments.

I think Barney’s point here is that not everything that glitters is gold. For those who don’t play, being a professional football player appears to be the greatest thing in the world.

Barney is saying maybe that’s not entirely true.

Okay, back to the bitterness…

By: tharoostah

tharoostah — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 14:26:14 +0000

What else is far more dangerous than playing NFL football? Driving cars!!!!

That’s right driving a taxi is a more dangerous job than playing in the NFL. Of every 100,000 cab drivers, 16.1 dies in a fatal accident. 45 cab drivers dead in 2010 alone.

Average pay: less than $30,0000
NFL pay: 1.9 million

Do they all want to be cab drivers? No, but they didn’t have the luxury of making money doing what they love.

By: lombardihero

lombardihero — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 14:25:05 +0000

Not sure how much money his NFL pension is but OJ Simpson played back in that day and his was 25 grand a month in 2006 and moved up to like 30 grand a month now.

Wiki info is wrong saying the Goldman family was trying to get OJ’s 28,000 A year NFL pension which should actually read 25 grand a month in 2006 but they could not touch his pension.

My point any job Barney would have took or any of them back then the amount of money they make from their pensions alone in a year would have been about the money a normal persons pension would be for a life time.

Barney can say what he wants because he has a great pension but I guarantee if that was not the case and he had a construction pension at lets say 1500 a month he would be singing a whole different tune. We all would………………………….

By: effosugoblue

effosugoblue — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 14:21:20 +0000

Hindsight is 20/20. Enjoy your 8 Hall of Fames.