For the most part, guys try to stay active, play golf, tennis, work out. But all of sudden, you're around 45, you start waking up going, 'Man, my shoulder, my hip, my knee.' Then seriously by 50 to 55, it's constant pain everywhere. 'I can't stand very long. I can't walk very far. My neck is compressed. Arthritis is killing your shoulders. Everything.'"
Injuries accumulated over long amounts of time playing in the NFL can vastly change your life after you retire.
The most severe consequence of an NFL career is head trauma that can lead to brain disorders as well as a host of mental health issues.
This is still the biggest injury concern the NFL has. They are trying their best by upgrading helmet equipment and make more rules about head to head contact, but lots of it is uncontrollable.
those who played at least 10 years were about three times more likely to say they were "not happy.
This is confusing as I understand money is very much needed, but to play at least 10 years and say you werent happy while playing is crazy to me.
I knew then at 33, 34 years old, I was going to have trouble walking when I'm older," he said. "I just knew it. . . . I made the decision. I said, 'I don't care. I deserve to work as hard as I can to improve the quality of life for my family. It's my risk. I'm doing what I'm supposed to do.' "
This is what a lot of the players feel now. They will put their body at risk to help their family and future family be successful. Many players get their money and will buy their parents houses and such.
Injuries? Let me give you a list," Kramer, 77, said. "Broken bones, leg, the leg below the knee, separated bone and ankle, had to have bolt put in, thumb, arm, broke rib, detached retina, concussion - all from football.
This makes life after football very very difficult as almos this whole body is injured.
Ten percent of those under 65 in the Michigan survey needed surgery they could not afford, 16 percent needed dental care they couldn't pay for and 8 percent could not afford prescription medicine.
Only in recent years are contracts getting up to millions for multiple years. In the older NFL days players werent paid as much as now, but it was still a lot of money.
"You hear stories of what you will have to face when you get older," he said. "You don't put much merit in that when you're younger."
Lots of time the money talks blind people from the risk they put their body at.
But player responses also raised the question of whether at least some of the lasting damage they incurred was avoidable, and if the NFL is doing enough to mitigate it.
The NFL is trying to make changes to this in recent years. They are trying to take out unneeded roughness during plays. They are as of now mainly just fining players after games for unnecessary roughness.
he game was going to better your family, better your life, better your children's lives," said former defensive tackle Warren Sapp, recently elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The amount of money NFL players receive is life changing. Even the league minimum average is around $600,000.
The Post conducted extensive interviews with more than three dozen retired NFL players, and most said they accepted a certain amount of pain as the fair exchange for football's compensations.
NFL players are paid very well. The only downside is the toll the game takes on your body. Some people will put their body on the line for millions of dollars.
A third rated the medical care offered by team doctors as either "not so good" or "poor," though a majority rated it as "good or "excellent."
The worse a team does the less money they put on team doctors and such. They would rather use it on players and coaches to try to make the team better.
Nine in 10 former NFL players reported suffering concussions while playing, and nearly six in 10 reported three or more.
Helmet to Helmet hits are very common.
The Post's online survey of more than 500 retired players paints a rare portrait of the toll a career in the NFL has on the long-term health of those who competed in the bruising game. The results also present a striking paradox: Nine in 10 said they're happy they played the sport. But fewer than half would recommend children play it today.
The old NFL was defiantly a lot more physically then in recent years, but the NFL is a full body contact sport. You get paid millions of dollars, but you put your own body on the line for that money.
A Washington Post survey of retired NFL players found that nearly nine in 10 report suffering from aches and pains on a daily basis, and they overwhelmingly - 91 percent - connect nearly all their pains to football.
Each person is different. Some players who got super injured say they feel fine and that they put lots of time into body recovery each year by stretching and massaging.
They remember the hard hits - most of them, at least. The brain-rattlers that left them blank-eyed and disoriented, they have no recollection of at all. But the ones that snapped ligaments, rendered bones the consistency of crushed ice or bent joints in ways they ought not to bend are still felt every morning years later.
Injuries happen in every game to almost every player. Many injuries arent announced in the media. Players have to deal with these injuries for the rest of their life, espiecally injuries like concussions and broken bones.
He “feigned” an injury in the game, a pulled calf muscle. Not season-ending, but enough to get a four-week payday on an injury settlement. I remember sitting by him in the training room saying, “I put my time in, now gotta get that retirement.” He smiled all the way out of the complex on his way to the airport.
This is the sad truth that we dont see a lot of the time. We see this a lot in the work industry with people trying to get workers comp and unemployment this is almost the same thing.
This is a major dilemma that occurs every preseason around the NFL. Fringe players who are eating up a roster spot get injured. They cannot practice, thus they are not helping the team. I
There are many people who are signed just for a practice team spot and if they get injured their gone without a second thought. The preseason isnt even for teams to play their starters anymore its just a time to possibly find some diamonds in the rough and get the rookies adjusted.
I knew I was probably done for my career, but there was still a drop in my stomach to see the Saints fill my spot just like that. That’s when I knew the NFL stood for “Not For Long.”
Even before he was completely healthy and able to practice again they replaces him without even telling him. It sucks as a player to see this, but one thing coaches love to say is "Next man up".
That is the mindset of an athlete. They train all year round for the chance to compete, and some crazy injury happens that takes all that away.
I broke my wrist playing football so I understand this. You work so hard in the offseason for it to possibly be taken away by one injury.
In New Orleans, I went to make a tackle and herniated two discs in my neck and cracked a vertebrae. I lost feeling in my arm and down my left side. I tried to walk off the field and hide from the trainers until the pain went away, but my arm was useless—and I knew I was done
A very terrible injury which basically cost him his career as he wouldn't find another team. Felt like everyone looked down on him.
Fans and media will argue that the cost of Manning's 2012 contract got him released. But if Manning is healthy in 2011, the argument is never raised. Due to Manning’s injuries, the Colts had to look to the future and could not wait around for their icon to be healthy.
Even though he was so good and brought the team many wins and accolades it didnt matter to the team. Now granted Manning is one of the best QB's of all time, but what do you think happens to players who arent as good? They will get cut and may never find another team to sign them and now they are left with nothing.
One of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, Peyton Manning, missed all of last season due to his neck injury. Manning is a four-time NFL MVP, a Super Bowl champion and the greatest Indianapolis Colt of all time.
Peyton Manning is one of the best NFL QB'S to play the game. He won many awards, but with one injury it made the coaches and managers of the team look at him differently. They ended up releasing him and Manning went on to another team and would bring a super bowl to the team he joined.
That does not mean they are jerks or not good guys, but the NFL is a “What have you done for me lately?” business, and if you are not helping to win the game, then stay out of the way.
Unfortunately the NFL is a business first. Yes they care about players but they wont mind cutting someone if they dont help them generate money.
Club executives avoid players with that label like the plague and once a player gets that moniker, they wear the title for life.
This is what happens most of the time when a player tears their ACL or Achilles. When these types of injuries happen players get put on what most like to call a list of players who are looked at differently because they may not be able to perform at the same level again.
The question that coaches and trainers deal with the most is: What is each player’s pain tolerance? What some guy’s consider a hurt, others consider that aliment an injury.
Each player is different which can make lots of the studies done on average time of career after injury.
We were unable to show a statistically significant difference in NFL players’ performances after turf toe injury based on power ratings.
This is a hard injury to study on if it affects players since the injury is so common.
The average time missed was 3.2 games. 9 players were placed on injured reserve and 8 required surgery
Each game can cost players up to hundreds of thousands of dollars compared to the little money they are given while on the injured reserve. Also if surgery is required it may take longer to come back and teams may not look at you the same as a player.
Recorded variables included player age, position, games missed, and type of playing surface on which the injury occurred.
The information they are using to decide the impact turf toe has on a players career.
The goal of this study was to quantify the impact a turf toe injury has on NFL players, specifically in time to return to competition and their performance post-injury compared to pre-injury.
The goal is to see how players dealt with turf toe and how long it took the player to come back to play.
The increase in artificial turf in the 1970’s was thought to have contributed to increased incidence of this injury in players of the National Football League (NFL)
Turf toe is common and isn't the most insane injury possible on the football field, but it still does hinder a player during the game.
This case series investigated NFL athletes who sustained bilateral ATRs, demonstrating a significant difference in age at the time of each rupture along with a decreasing trend in the number of Pro Bowl
Research can say a lot, but depending on the player they can come back even better than before as it has happened before. The other option is possible where they were unstoppable, but then tore their achilles and were never the same.
When analyzing five NFL athletes with bilateral ATRs, mean BMI was 33.4+-4, an average of 5.8+-4 seasons were completed before ATR1, and three athletes currently play.
Only 3 out of 5 players still continued to play after a ATR.
ATR injury and subsequent 9 to 11 month rehabilitation period could adversely limit the impact athletes make both individually and at the team level.
Recently many players have been able to shorten the time it takes, but you need to almost work 24/7 to achieve this.
potentially career- ending injury has demonstrated a decrease in return to play, playing time, and performance for athletes.
For many athletes this is the case.
Achilles tendon ruptures (ATR) can have devastating results for athletes in the National Football League (NFL)
For many players this type of injury is career ending. It depends on your position, but for most players when you rupture your achilles most teams wont look at you as the same player you were before.
This retrospective study demonstrates that NFL players sustaining concussion face a greater overall franchise release rate and lower probability of remaining in the NFL when compared with a nonconcussed cohort.
Most of the time the players getting realsed arent a big part of the team. (I.E. franchise QB, WR,RB,DB,TE)
While approximately 40% of retired NFL players reportedly have signs of long-term brain remodeling, little is known about the short-term impact of concussion on a player’s career from a performance and financial perspective
Most players unfortunately dont see any difference in themselves immediately after a concussion rather than a few years later.
Data for the study were gathered from profootballreference.com, prosportstransactions.com, Spotrac.com, FantasyData.com, and the NFL.com weekly injury report, all of which are based on publicly available and searchable data.
Reliable sources they used to find the information on the players they were using.
Players who met the criteria for inclusion in the concussion group had (1) a documented concussion based on the NFL’s public weekly injury report and (2) at least 1 missed game with the designation of DNP (“did not participate”) or inactive status. A total of 307 NFL players met these criteria and were included in the concussion pool.
The needed criteria to be included in the study they are conducting.
Practice squad players who had never played an NFL game were excluded.
Practice squad players who get concussions almost always get released.
While multisport epidemiological data on concussions have been reported for collegiate athletes, there are limitations in the use of this information to evaluate short-term career and financial outcomes.
Concussion to college players arent as well announced as in the NFL. Concussions to younger players have more affect later on.
The NFL has responded swiftly and impressively to the consequences of concussion, with several rule changes: (1) creating a policy preventing same-game return to play for any player diagnosed with a concussion1,19; (2) implementing sideline concussion assessment protocols and developing a standardized evidence-based testing algorithm11,13,16; (3) penalizing players for making contact with the crown of the helmet and moving the kickoff line from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line to reduce injuries2,15,17; (4) administering additional sideline evaluation protocols, including preseason education, baseline testing, and concussion evaluations performed by neurologists3,6,10; and (5) penalizing teams that do not follow established concussion protocol.
New rules implemented to make players with concussions stay away from football until they are recovered 100%.
The NFL and NFL Players Association have focused on earlier intervention and diagnosis to minimize and mitigate the long-term structural changes in the brain associated with NFL football play.
The NFL has come a long way in how they deal with concussions now as they make it a top priority. It all started with the movie concussion.
In 2007, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill linked the risk of clinical depression with sports-related concussions, with a study in 2013 describing higher rates of depression and dementia among retired NFL players versus matched healthy controls.
Other studies have been done on if concussions cause depression. The results were similar in that it does raise the chances of depression.
This retrospective study demonstrated that NFL players who sustain a concussion face a higher overall franchise release rate and shorter career span.
In short players who get concussions have shorter careers than players who didn't get a concussion. This isn't for every case though.
offensive scoring players sustaining concussions was statistically significant.
Are needed the most on the team, but also the most replaceable guys on the team.
Analysis of the probability of remaining in the league demonstrated a statistically significantly shorter career length for the concussion group at 3 and 5 years after concussion.
Concussions can drastically change how a player plays the game. Most of the time what happens is the player doesn't want to get another concussion so they play safer, but thats not what teams want.
307 sustained publicly reported concussions resulting in the DNP injury protocol
Means they were out for 2 weeks.
NFL players with concussions by analyzing the effect of concussions on (1) franchise release rate, (2) career length, (3) salary, and (4) performance
Normally concussions dont completely call for a release from a team, but it can happen depending on what kind of player you were prior to the concussion. Most of the time players get a concussion and come back and depending on how they play after then they will get released from the team.
A short-term protocol for evaluation of National Football League (NFL) athletes incurring concussion has yet to be fully defined
As of right now how they deal with concussions is to let the team doctor look at the player and see what needs to be done to determine concussion or not. If no concussion player is good if concussion is found to happen then the player is out for normally 2 full weeks. That is from practice and games.
explained approximately 33%-38% of the variance in each outcome
Each player that answered their questions saw a change in them after they stopped playing football and they had a least one concussion in their career.
SRC history is non-modifiable in former athletes
Sports Related Concussions risk factors cant be changed. What this means is in football you cant change the risk of getting a concussion due to the fact the whole game is based on body on body contact with high chances of getting hit in the head.
Several variables appear to be associated with mood and perceived cognitive function in former NFL players.
Concussions do cause a difference in each category they were studying and it was different for the each person and the amount of concussions they have had.
To examine the relationships among self-reported sport-related concussion (SRC) history and current health-promoting behaviours (exercise frequency, diet quality and sleep duration) with self-reported measures of brain health (cognitive function, symptoms of depression and anxiety and emotional-behavioural dyscontrol) in former NFL players.
The idea is to find out how players who suffered a concussion during their career are dealing with these factors after they retired. Exercise frequency, diet quality, and sleep duration can be connected to concussions so finding out if former NFL players are suffering from any of these can help the researchers figure out how bad concussions can be and if having multiple makes a difference.
Respondents reported SRC history
SRC history means "Sports Related Concusion"