NFL Suicide and the Dark Reality of Brain Injuries
Well, let me tell ya, there’s somethin’ real sad goin’ on with them big football players. Y’all know them NFL players, right? Those big guys with muscles like tree trunks who run ‘round and knock each other down for a living. It might seem like they got it all – the fame, the money, the glory. But what folks don’t see is the terrible toll it takes on their brains. And I ain’t talkin’ about just bein’ a little forgetful after a long season, I’m talkin’ ’bout somethin’ much worse – a disease called CTE, which stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Now, this here CTE ain’t no joke. It’s a brain disease that happens from takin’ too many hits to the head. And I reckon it ain’t just one or two hits – it’s all them years of bangin’ heads and hittin’ the ground hard. You see, CTE don’t show up overnight. No, sir. It takes years, sometimes decades, for it to really show its ugly face. And when it does, it messes up a person’s mind somethin’ fierce. They start forgettin’ things, gettin’ real mad for no reason, and sometimes they end up doin’ things they wouldn’t normally do. Some even take their own lives.
One sad case that broke my heart was of a fella named Phillip Adams. Back in 2021, this man, a former NFL player, went out and did somethin’ so awful. He shot and killed five folks, includin’ a doctor, and then took his own life. They say he had severe CTE – and I reckon that was what drove him to it. Now, this ain’t the first time somethin’ like this happened, and it sure ain’t the last. There have been others, like Charles Johnson and Mike Webster, who also had CTE and ended up takin’ their own lives. It’s like their brains got broken from all them hits they took, and they couldn’t handle it no more.
The thing is, CTE ain’t just a problem for a few folks here and there. Studies show that about one-third of retired NFL players think they might have it. That’s a lotta people! And they ain’t alone. There’s been research, done by folks at places like Boston University, where they found CTE in a lot of former players. In fact, they say out of 376 former NFL players, 345 of ’em had CTE. That’s a high number, ain’t it?
What Happens to These Players?
Well, CTE ain’t somethin’ that just happens overnight, but when it does hit, it’s like a slow-motion trainwreck. These players, once they start sufferin’ from it, can act real strange. They might forget things like the names of their own kids, or forget what day it is. And it don’t stop there. Some get real angry, get in trouble with the law, or even get depressed, feelin’ like they ain’t worth nothin’. And that depression, it can be real bad. It can make ’em think about things that no person should ever think about, like endin’ it all.
Y’all might think that the money and fame make it all worth it, but when you see what it does to these men when they leave the game, you start wonderin’ if it was worth it after all. And let me tell ya, there ain’t no easy way to fix it. Once that brain gets damaged, it ain’t somethin’ you can just patch up with a little rest or a pill. It’s permanent, and it gets worse with time. The NFL might be makin’ some changes to try to help out with player safety, but I reckon it’s too little, too late for some of these men.
Why Don’t They Talk About It More?
Well, that’s the real kicker, ain’t it? These big tough men don’t like to show weakness. They like to keep their problems to themselves, put on a brave face, and go out there and play like everything’s fine. But inside, a lot of ‘em are fightin’ battles that the rest of us can’t even begin to understand. Some of ‘em don’t even realize what’s happenin’ to ‘em ‘til it’s too late. It’s a real shame, but there’s still a stigma around mental health, even in the NFL. Folks don’t wanna admit they’re hurtin’ inside, especially when they’ve been taught their whole life to be tough as nails.
And then there’s the issue of what happens after they leave the game. You might think that a retired player would be able to relax and live a good life, but a lot of ‘em end up with all sorts of problems, from financial struggles to broken homes. They go from bein’ treated like royalty to bein’ forgotten. That kind of change can mess with a person’s mind even more, especially if they’re already dealin’ with the effects of CTE.
What Can We Do About It?
Well, the first thing is, we gotta talk about it more. People need to know that this is a real issue, and it’s affectin’ a lot of former NFL players. We can’t just turn a blind eye and pretend like it ain’t happenin’. Maybe if more folks spoke up, we could find better ways to help these men before it’s too late. And maybe, just maybe, the NFL can step up and do more to protect players while they’re still in the game. They’ve made some changes to helmets and safety rules, but we need more – especially when it comes to taking care of them after they leave the field.
CTE ain’t just somethin’ that happens to a few folks here and there. It’s a problem that’s hurtin’ a lot of people, and it ain’t goin’ away anytime soon. We owe it to these players to make sure their sacrifices don’t get swept under the rug. They gave us their blood, sweat, and tears, and we gotta make sure they get the help they need when it’s all over. They might be tough, but they’re still human, and it’s time we start treatin’ ‘em like it.
Final Thoughts
The truth is, we need to start takin’ CTE seriously. It’s costin’ lives, and we can’t just sit around and let it keep happenin’. We need to take care of our football heroes before they end up in the grave too early, and before their families have to suffer because of what happened on the field. Let’s make sure the NFL starts doin’ more to protect the players, both while they’re playin’ and after they’re done. Because in the end, no game, no trophy, and no amount of money is worth a human life.
Tags：[NFL, CTE, Suicide, NFL Players, Brain Injury, Mental Health, NFL Safety, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, Football Players, NFL Suicide, NFL Awareness, NFL Player Deaths, Player Safety]
