Thursday, October 31, 2013

Is the official language of America’s game Chinese?

By Will Brown

Hazma Abdullah eviscerated the National Football League this afternoon on Twitter.

What makes Abdullah’s opinion on the league, and its leaders, any different than the rest of us? For starters, he spent parts of seven years playing for three different NFL franchises. Secondly, his writing featured rage as well as suggestions for how the game can be improved.

Some pundits will call Abdullah’s words a rant because of all the expletives. But remember most of these pundits are employed by companies that stand to lose something if NFL cuts business ties with their organization. (Besides, the sports media has not covered ourselves in glory with our portrayal of passionate black men who make their living playing football. See Bryant, Dez.)


Abdullah was not a great player by any means. However, hardcore fans may remember his name from stories done on him and his brother, Husain, a few years ago. The package was about how the two Muslim brothers managed their faith with football during Ramadan.



Nonetheless, Abdullah’s words should resonate with us. The NFL may proclaim its intent is to protect player safety with some of its new rules. But actions certainly speak louder than staged events and press releases.

Remember, this is the same league that pressured ESPN into disassociating itself from a documentary about the concussion issues players are facing during and after their playing careers. This is the same league that will pay $765 million to former players for their health related issues. This is the same league where 58 players have sustained concussions at the midway point of the 2013 season.

Tragically, this is the same league where 18 of the 19 brains of former players that have been studied by the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University have tested positive for CTE, a degenerative and incurable disease whose symptoms can include memory loss, depression and dementia.

Those facts did not stop NFL commissioner Roger Goodell from teaching moms how to tackle safely this week in suburban Chicago. Somehow the league even convinced Dr. Oz to be one of the speakers at this incredulous presentation.


Abdullah goes on to say Goodell has sold his soul for a dollar; the league intentionally has misdiagnosed injuries to players; players do not report injuries because contracts are not guaranteed and there have been days he has let the thought of suicide creep into his mind.

It’s important to remember Abdullah did not play in an era that was ignorant to the issues of concussions and player safety. He’s 30 years old. In six of the seven years Abdullah played professionally Goodell was the commissioner.


That sort of attitude is not restricted to the NFL. This fall, the Chronicle of Higher Education published a story that noted coaches and trainers differ on concussion protocols at some major college football programs. One of the schools mentioned in that report was Washington State, which is where Abdullah played before being drafted in 2005.

There has been some spectacular reporting on the long-term health risks of playing football. Abdullah’s words Thursday show just how ignorant most of us are to the sacrifices players make to play a game they grew up loving.


Abdullah believes the NFL should pay for those costs, not the players. Before bristling at that belief remember two things: player contracts are not guaranteed and NFL revenues are more congruent with Fortune 500 companies — the league’s $10 billion in revenues in 2012 was more than Bed, Bath & Beyond; Sherwin-Williams and MGM Resorts International — than your typical sports league.

Abdullah’s writings today prove he may be many things. But, he’s certainly not stupid.

at
Labels: , , , ,