The Elephant in The Room

I love the NFL. Since I was a child, it's been my favorite sport. I love the pageantry of the game, the excitement, pretty much everything. And I'm not alone. The NFL is by far the most popular, profitable sport in America.

But it's also, arguably, the most deadly. And it is that last aspect that should give all fans a moment of pause. It's been a long time coming, and it's getting impossible to ignore.

Last week, Junior Seau committed suicide. Though it will be months before anyone can say for sure, many suspect he was suffering effects of traumatic brain injury. Many suspect that he killed himself because he was losing himself, and a pattern of erratic behavior over the past few years seems to back up that sentiment.

It was jarring to me to see he was dead. Seau was a great player from my youth. I spent years fearing him when he was with the San Diego Chargers, and then rooting for him when he was part of some loaded New England Patriot teams. The idea that 20 years of violent collisions took a toll on him shouldn't be surprising, but it's still disheartening.

And, of course, we know Seau isn't alone. More than 100 former players filed suit against the NFL, and it seems fair to say that for years the medical experts hired by the league shaded the truth and allowed players to be exposed to great risk. It's a risk that's long been associated with blood sports like boxing, but something the casual fan would like to pretend doesn't exist when it comes to professional football. The days when we could turn the other way are over.

Player safety has been a buzz word the past few seasons, and for good reason. Watching an interview with Jim McMahon, and realizing that he can't remember what he did 20 minutes prior because of the injuries suffered from concussions in his playing days, is sobering. Especially since hard hits have long been part of the spectacle of professional football.

I don't know what the answer is, or what the future holds, but a day of reckoning is coming. Football is a beautiful sport. I love it dearly. We all know it comes with a price, the question is whether that price will continue to be worth it. That's a question every parent with a young son now has to answer.