Comments on: Former Chargers, 49ers LB Steve Hendrickson in cognitive decline

By: zl1vette

zl1vette — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 18:28:02 +0000

This is so INCREDIBLY EASY to fix (or drastically reduce) that I can’t believe it has not already happened. Probably after the NFL loses enough money in lawsuits. Put padding on the OUTSIDE of the helmets like 49ers OT Steve Wallace or Buffalo Bills S Mark Kelso used to wear, or incorporate it into the helmet. Even a one centimeter thickness would greatly reduce the g-forces generated in a collision.

By: howardlive

howardlive — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:22:39 +0000

Darin, thank you for sharing Steve’s story more widely. Given how many people who knew him as a younger man were shocked to learn of his condition, I do hope the awareness helps get him some of the help he will need.

I am the author of the original article that published June 24. Two details to clarify: the full name of the newspaper is the Napa Valley Register, and the website is no longer napanews.com but napavalleyregister.com. My article, titled “Was it worth it?”, will be on the site; look for the area marked “Special Reports.”

Again, thanks to you and Pro Football Talk for helping call attention to Steve and others like him.

Sincerely,
Howard Yune

By: greggfletch1

greggfletch1 — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:45:28 +0000

Sorry but, he did choose to play, nobody forced him. Sorry but you live in America not China. Capitolisim not Socialisim is what rules the day here. The Owners own a business, the NFL runs a conglmarate. The Players make millions. Unions are good but after a point they ruin things. What about the current players giving up 5 million in cap space a year to go to retired players that didnt make that kind of money. ONE LAST WORD. HOCKEY

By: mackie66

mackie66 — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:11:16 +0000

Theres a couple of ways to avoid head concussions. #1, take away the helmits, and no longer use them. #2 Stop playing football. Convert the NFL into a flag football league.
Yes, tongue firmly planted in cheek. But what is the answer? No hard tackling, uncle Rodger has already taken away hits to the head using a helmit, or no leading with the head, but how can u tackle with a shoulder without the head, somehow coming along for the ride? Concussions are here to stay as long as large, fast men continue to tackle, and block other large fast men.
And NFL players are NOT my heros. My heros are finally coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

By: granadafan

granadafan — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:56:44 +0000

Really sad story. I followed his career from college to the pros and was impressed by his ability to make the most out of his talent. Guys were bigger and faster than him, but none had a bigger drive to succeed. Now he’s paying the price for that drive . I hope for his and his family’s sake he gets some help.

Remember folks, he’s still a human being with a family.

By: tombrookshire

tombrookshire — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:32:31 +0000

May be a looming storm for the NFL, but their lawyers and fixers in the courts will make all of it go away and screw the players. The most teflon of all teflon mega-corporations is the NFL. Why, because the customers are brainwashed into supporting it above the men they considered their Sunday heroes. I can see the posts now….the players chose to play the game…. the NFL gave them a great living…blah, blah.

By: mjkelly77

mjkelly77 — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:27:55 +0000

Asked if his football career was worth it, Hendrickson said: “Living the life, it wasn’t a great life. You’re a piece of meat, there one day and gone the next. And it might cost you your brain.”
_______________

Nonetheless, he CHOSE to play. No one held a gun to his head and made him sign a contract. And don’t tell me that he didn’t know the dangers of playing.

By: howiefeltersnatch

howiefeltersnatch — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:25:58 +0000

Looking at that red nose of his, are we sure concussions are the only thing to blame here?

By: goredskins11

goredskins11 — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:23:40 +0000

I thought that was Terry Bradshaw in the photo. :-0

By: hwjr57

hwjr57 — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:17:45 +0000

The NFL should be ASHAMED of itself. All the money that’s being made and they can’t help out a guy who was a true warrior. To paraphrase Confucius, laws do not lead to correct behavior, just avoiding laws; while cultivating the person and installing a sense of virtue causes people to act correctly out of shame.

Shame on you NFL, you have no virtue.

By: stevescars

stevescars — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:05:19 +0000

duanethomas says:
Jul 2, 2012 9:44 AM
13 concussions in college and 7 in the NFL. His career should have ended in college because the damage was already done. Don’t blame the NFL….

Where does it say he got 13 concussions in college and 7 in the NFL? Am I reading a different article than you?

By: simplesimon1

simplesimon1 — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:59:46 +0000

Some people are so dumb. This guy only has one big problem with the NFL and it is a legitimate one. His pension plan calls him disabled by “non-football causes”????

Honestly, it doesn’t matter if the players would have played if they knew the risks anyways. Almost all the lawsuits are to make the NFL change it’s ways. Simply put, now that the NFL has better science to rely on for what has happened through brain injury as a result of playing football, the pension plans should be ammended to make sure these men that we cheered for and supported are taken care of. Remember that many players didn’t make the money of today. Also, remember that the NFL makes more money now than ever. Move some of the money from the players playing now into a pot for retired players. Seems like a simple plan, don’t know why it’s not moving forward.

By: bearsnoah

bearsnoah — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:51:01 +0000

The concussion issue will get worse before it gets better. The stigma around sharing these health issues is thankfully going away and hopefully we will have a safer NFL with just as much exitement.

By: tomsd1

tomsd1 — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:28:21 +0000

BTW – is there an NFL player alive who didn’t get a concussion in college? Really?

By: tomsd1

tomsd1 — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:26:34 +0000

For all the second guessers – the cumulative effect of concussions in today’s football game (read – since say the mid to late 60′s – when players became much bigger/used steroids, weight trained at an early age, etc) – is just now starting to be understood.

Even more recently – in Hendrickson’s day – as he says – nobody really asked/cared about consussions (It’s Ok Coach – he had his bell rung but will be fine in a few minutes and we will get him back in there soon…….) and neither did the players want to make a big deal of it as they wanted to play, and yes, get paid.

By: starrbart

starrbart — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:25:45 +0000

My mother can remember what she did on trips to the cabin 30 years ago but can’t remember what she had for breakfast this morning. Obviously it’s due to football concussions!

By: purpleguy

purpleguy — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:48:24 +0000

If that’s a picture of a 45 year old guy, there’s got to be more going on health-wise than concussions.

By: fdugrad

fdugrad — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:48:05 +0000

It appears as though the only prospect for the future offered to NFL draft picks, will be a doozy of a Hobson’s choice: DEMENTIA, take it or leave it!! It is difficult to imagine how anyone or any organization will be able to remove this terrible reality from the equation without severely and dramatically changing the structure of the game as it is now played. Regardless how one views football, the human brain cannot be subjected to continual trauma without catastrophic outcomes. For that matter, all the above could potentially pertain to the NCAA and even extent to the high school level. It’s TRULY a daunting situation .

By: philwauke

philwauke — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:47:27 +0000

So if he admits to all the concussions in college would that hinder a case against the NFL?

By: duanethomas

duanethomas — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:44:06 +0000

13 concussions in college and 7 in the NFL. His career should have ended in college because the damage was already done. Don’t blame the NFL….

By: yssupasigninnamnotyep

yssupasigninnamnotyep — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:28:34 +0000

He’s only 45? Damn, he looks 65 in that photo.