At one point during the NFL Network’s supersized pregame show for the Super Bowl on Sunday, Deion Sanders addressed the issue of concussions in the NFL and said he thought that he thought people were exaggerating their problems to get involved in lawsuits against the league.
“The game is a safe game, the equipment is better, I don’t buy all these guys coming back with these concussions. I’m not buying all that,” Sanders said. “Half these guys are trying to make money off the deal. That’s real talk. That’s really how it is. I wish they’d be honest and tell the truth because it’s keeping kids away from our game.”
As you’d imagine, Sanders’ strong words found some disagreement in the football world. Former NFL receiver Joe Horn, one of the players involved in the lawsuits called them “asinine” during an interview on The David Baumann Show on 1080 The Team and promised to discuss it with Sanders in person.
“Nationally, publicly, he made that comment. I think Junior Seau’s family, I think Dave Duerson’s, I think some families that had fathers, grandfathers or uncles who died from some of those concussions and diseases that caused that, he should come nationally and apologize to those families, because he don’t know,” Horn said.
Horn also explained why he was involved in the lawsuit and said that monetary reward wasn’t the only way he’d consider the effort a success.
“I’m just upset that it wasn’t handled properly when we got concussions the way it’s being handled now. I’m glad it’s being handled now that way,” Horn said. “It needs to be addressed and if the NFL has to pay for that, and hey, it is what is, but if they don’t and they’re brought to justice and just how to handle better situations, then I’m OK with that too.”
We can’t know the motivations of all the players taking part in legal action against the NFL, but any suggestion about being honest and telling the truth has to involve the seriousness of concussions. Whoever decides about kids playing the game deserves all the information on the subject.