New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor is tackled by Denver Broncos tackle Dave Studdard (70) during Super Bowl XXI . (Manny Rubio-US PRESSWIRE)

As the number of concussion related lawsuits against the NFL grows (the list has over 2,200 players on it), the league announced the initiation of “NFL Total Wellness” which aims to:

“Empower players to make positive health decisions; promote help-seeking behaviors in connection with behavioral and mental health issues; provide education on family safety; and enhance transition programs that help players adjust to new stages of life.” – Roger Goodell in a letter to NFL fans.

After Junior Seau’s suicide three months ago and the onslaught of lawsuits, the league realized that they need to provide health resources (physical and mental) to current and former players as well as to team personnel.

Former Broncos offensive tackle Dave Studdard is one of those player who filed.

“I just have to refocus, have to concentrate a lot to try to achieve something,” Studdard said. “It kind of comes and goes. I have problems with short term memory loss, but long term memory is there.”

Studdard started 133 games for the Broncos from 1979 to 1988, putting his head down thousands of times to block defenses coming his way.

“It was a situation where we weren’t warned about that scenario happening,” Studdard said. “Now they’re telling us that concussions are a major part of dementia and Alzheimer’s.”

If Studdard would have known about all of the long-term risks associated with playing the sport that he loved, would he have decided on a different career?

“I look at it like I’m glad they didn’t tell me about it so I could play the game because I love the game,” Studdard said. “As far as it happening to my son, I want it to happen to me, not him. ”

Kasey Studdard is a six year veteran offensive tackle. Just like his father, he went to the University of Texas. Kasey was drafted by the Houston Texans in the 6th round of the 2007 draft.

While Kasey has played in 25 games (14 career starts), he had to sit out for eight games during his rookie year after suffering a nasty concussion during a kickoff return.

The proud father shook his head recalling Kasey’s injury.

“It’s just a matter of coping with it.  Something is going to happen to you if you play football in high school, college, or pro. It’s going to catch up to you.”

It’s certainly caught up to Dave Studdard, but he makes it a point to say that suicide is never a concern for him.

“Suicide is never an issue in my life,” Studdard said. “I can be the stupidest man in the world, but I would never do that to myself or my family.”

Dave and Kasey Studdard may walk a similar path, but make no mistake. It’s a path they voluntarily took.

“It’s something he wanted to do, it’s something I wanted to do,” Studdard said. “That’s the thing we love.”

To say that life is the sum of all your choices is an understatement. Unfortunately for the Studdard’s, the choices and the thing they love has the potential to hurt the quality of their lives. That’s already happened for Dave.

While the NFL constantly writes hefty paychecks, the amount may not be worth it down the road when one can only smell pigskin from the stands.

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Eric Decker is knocked out of the game on this tackle after a catch by James Harrison. (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

As current and former players come forth in the wake of Junior Seau’s death to address whether they would/will let their children play football, it’s interesting to take a look at the health issues that arise in retired NFL players.

On January 28, 1994, the health section in the New York Times put out an article titled Super BOwl XXVIII; NFL Players Live Longer. The article details the initial study of the health of former players and issues related to life expectancy.

A Federal agency announced today that its study showed the death rate for former professional football players was 46 percent less than the rate for American men of similar age and race in the general population.

The study also showed, however, that offensive and defensive linemen, who are heavier than other players, had a 52 percent greater risk than nonplayers of dying from heart disease. And it showed that heart disease killed linemen at a rate 3.7 times higher than the rate for other players….

In the past, the Players Association had said that former professional players had a life expectancy of 53 years, as opposed to 72 for the general male population. Not so, the study concluded. – Frank Litsky (New York Times) 

The NFLPA asked the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to conduct the study.

Now let’s take a look at the most recent study on retired players by NIOSH. They used the same population, just followed-up 16 years later. This comes from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Players had a much lower overall rate of death compared to men in the general U.S. population of similar age and racial mix. On average, NFL players are actually living longer than the average American male. Out of the 3,439 players in the study, 334 were deceased. Based on estimates from the general population, we anticipated roughly 625 deaths.

Players also had a much lower rate of cancer-related deaths compared to the general U.S. population. A total of 85 players died from cancer when we anticipated 146 cancer-related deaths based on estimates from the general population.

Players who had a playing-time BMI of 30 or more had twice the risk of death from heart disease compared to other players. Similar findings have been noted in other studies. Offensive and defensive linemen were more likely to have a BMI greater than 30. A BMI of 30 or more is considered obese in the general population whereas a healthy BMI is between 18.5-24.9. – Sherry Baron, MD., (CDC)

You can read more results here.

While this news is promising, there’s a difference between life expectancy and quality of life. More research (i.e. life satisfaction scales) needs to be done in order to really assess a retired player’s life. Perhaps then, the NFL will work to better take care of their retired players.

Based on these studies, there are some health benefits to playing NFL football. The league is constantly working towards making the game safer by altering rules as well.

What the league can’t control for is how much bigger, faster, and stronger players get. It appears that the NFL needs to constantly tailor the sport in order to best protect its players.

There’s no real solution to the problem, just a real promise from the league to do the best they can with what’s presented in front on them.

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Fans made an impromptu memorial celebrating the life of former San Diego Charger linebacker Junior Seau. (Credit: US PRESSWIRE)

The news that all-time great Junior Seau had committed suicide last week was both shocking and heartbreaking. Seau might be the biggest name player who has suffered with depression and the difficult transition period after leaving the game, but he certainly wasn’t the first. Not even close.

Unfortunately, suicide amongst ex-players has become a relatively frequent event. As recently as last year former Chicago Bear Dave Duerson committed suicide by gunshot to the chest; the same method that was chosen by Junior Seau. Duerson specified he wanted his brain to be studied in his suicide note, and researchers at Boston University found that his brain had suffered severe degenerative damage due to constant head impacts from his playing days. Seau’s brain will also be studied soon, and many expect the findings to be similar.

Seau played 20 seasons in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. He played his high school football in Oceanside, a small city just north of San Diego, and became a local legend after he found success at the University of Southern California and the NFL. Drafted by the Chargers in 1990, he played in 12 consecutive Pro Bowls starting in his second year in the league. He also played in 2 Super Bowls after the 1994 and 2007 seasons with the Chargers and Patriots, respectively, but those teams lost both games.

Junior Seau was a force on and off the field. He had a large presence in the San Diego community and gave more than his share of time and money to charities and local causes. By all accounts, his bubbly personality and positive attitude were always present and they rubbed off on anyone who got a chance to meet him.

Unfortunately, Seau fought a silent battle with some internal demons. No one may ever know exactly what Seau was going through but depression seems to have been a primary factor. If that’s the case, 20 years of collisions on a pro football field could have certainly played a part in that.

I don’t pretend to know what it feels like to suffer from depression. Nor do I have any clue what it’s like for a person to seriously consider taking their own life. However, I do know that depression is a real and serious condition, and it’s an issue that needs to be discussed more openly. The fact that ex-NFL players can’t find a way to get help when they reach their lowest point is heartbreaking. These men are members of a prestigious fraternity that comes with an abundance of resources and avenues of support. Yet their reluctance to simply ask a friend for help shows the stigma that is associated with mental illness in our society.

Not to minimize other tragic events that have come before, but the weight the Seau name carries around league circles has forced everyone to take an even closer look at mental illness and the long term effects of playing a violent sport. The NFL has been making a push to make the game safer in recent years and Seau’s death will kick those efforts into overdrive.

The NFL’s campaign for player safety is primarily a response to the lawsuits the league faces today that threaten the long-term viability of the league. However, they do have a genuine interest in keeping players healthy. Marketable stars do not have much value when they are on injured reserve for an entire season, and most importantly, no one wants to see good men such as Junior Seau reach a point where they feel suicide is the only way out.

Sadly, I don’t have a final answer. I don’t think many people do. But a good place to start is to win the battle against concussions. More research needs to be done on the brain and the equipment protecting it. Every football player needs to wear protective gear that is on the cutting edge of technology, and that goes for college and high school players as well. Rules need to be refined every year. Even though the league has already legislated out some of the most dangerous types of contact, they need to continuously look at ways to make the game safer. Lastly, the NFL needs to do a better job taking care of their own after they leave the game. Ex-players need to be monitored in the long term and a better support system is needed so players who are suffering can find help.

The NFL has a long ways to go with these issues, but they have the resources to accomplish them. I think I can speak for every NFL fan out there. Let’s get this figured out so that other players don’t end up paying the ultimate price like Junior Seau.

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