BTW, it’s Justin Strzelczyk.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Strzelczyk

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sports/ci_6647417

To be honest, I’ve been very much in favor of allowing any and all PED’s. But in the case of football, I’d be in favor of banishing steroids. It is the combination of the size and speed and contact that leads to the acute and chronic injuries that shorten lives and careers.

Pretty much sums up everything this site is about.

The fact is, if a boxer gets knocked out he can’t even fight again for 90 DAYS. Sure, there are those fighters and promoters who try to get around that, but there is a rule that addresses the issue. Meanwhile, in football, players are pressured if not outright encouraged to get back on the field as soon as possible. This is presented as some sort of tough guy ethic but to me it is clearly a corporation trying to get as much out of an non durable good as possible. As a matter of fact, when a player chooses to not subject themselves to the punishment at an age deemed to early, they are looked upon with derision not only by the media but other players themselves who have somehow not realized that the NFL is a business, first and foremost. These players are said to be quitting on their teams and letting their teammates and fans down.

Now boxing certainly has real dangers(although I think a lot of bad publicity has come from fighters that Emmanuel Stewart trains. He is know for vicious gym wars where he subjects his prize fighter to rounds with hungry up and comers in 90 degree heat. Think Terry Norris, Holyfield, Tommy Hearns), but I am starting to think that healthwise if not money wise fighters might actually be better off than football players.

And just an aside, I have also changed my mind about PED’s especially in regards to football. If anyone needs a substance that will encourage quicker recuperation from the obscene punishment of the NFL its those guys.

I had a “Sports on My Mind” mental block….lol

Every thing from the previous comment stands…

“if you step back from it for a minute – isn’t it striking that every scrape with the law, no matter how trivial (and the most recent Tank Johnson incident, the one that got him cut from the Bears, was as trivial as it gets), involving an athlete is a news story, and another chance for moral pontificating? And, meanwhile, the fact that playing the game without full and proper information about the potential effects of doing so – with consequences that are, in some cases, literally life and death – is nary a blip on the radar screen.”

Projection of negative traits one might hold themselves, upon another is oft practiced art in which athletes seem to be the ultimate canvas
I’ll admit as a fan the soon to be accepted facts about the true nature of footballs destruction of ones body and mind, are extremely disturbing, some where it makes me feel guilty for enjoying what could lead to another persons extreme suffering

“Sports media, stewing in conflicted resentment about professional athletes and their incredible wealth, fame and (shocking!) sometime self-absorption and irresponsibility, find easy targets for those resentments in the form of misbehaving players, easier targets than the owners and leagues that rip-off municipalities, because exposing transgressions that take place at the institutional level, on behalf of wealthy, powerful and well-connected men requires reporting and hard work. To criticize a reckless 25-year old for drinking and driving – that’s easy pickings.”

True, You mentioned it succinctly, labor will always be the fall guy, whether physically or otherwise

Just those things add up to big $$$$$ out of pockets that want to keep those $$$$ for themselves – and we’re talking about the NFL and the NFLPA.

I agree with you about ESPN. If you look at how the NFL reacted to Playmakers you can see their sensitivity. And, this is clearly a more explosive set of issues.

Pro athletes risking life and personal health are simply the new gladiators in our version of Rome.