NFL betting is plagued by more factors than any other sport. NFL players are notorious for earning suspensions, and the physicality of football results in various injuries. While it’s easy to tell when a player has a physical injury from the outside, concussions will sometimes go unnoticed. Even when players detect the symptoms themselves it’s easy to understand why they may be hesitant to report injuries.
Professional athletes are some of the biggest competitors on the planet, and you definitely don’t want to appear injury prone when your paycheck depends on your performance on the field. But there is a rising need for the league to address the issue of concussions; the NFL has put plenty of regulations to increase security and detection but the most important thing it can do now is address player responsibility.
“The biggest obstacle, I think, would be the mindset of players,” Green Bay’s quarterback Aaron Rodgers elaborated on the issue during an interview with Bill Simmons’ on HBO’s ‘Any Given Wednesday”. “They have people who watch every player, there’s one up in the booth and then we have a number of doctors on the sidelines watching concussions. The helmets and the pads are as safe as I think you can possibly get them at this point. But players feeling comfortable self-monitoring [is still an issue]. And, if you have one, telling somebody about it.”
Coming forth with a concussion is certainly one of the hardest things to do as NFL player. Fans of NFL betting can imagine the look of disappointment the coaching staff, and management, will have in response to the crushing news. In the face of adversity, many players will resort to whatever other options are at their disposal.
“I guess my first half of my career before they really, you know, before they were like started looking over the whole industry, or the whole NFL, the doctors, the team doctors and trainers they were giving them out like candy, you know?” Johnson spoke about how easy it is to receive opioid-based painkillers during an interview with Michael Smith for ESPN’s E:60 program.
Resorting to painkillers to mask a concussion is worse than playing with fire. The problem with concussions, especially minor ones, is that the symptoms aren’t readily available from the outside. While trainers are constantly watching out for players, sometimes it isn’t the biggest hits that result in damage but rather the accumulation of multiple contacts.
“Concussions happen,” Johnson continued. “If not on every play, then they happen like every other, every third play, you know. With all the helmet contact, guys hitting the ground, heads hitting ground. It’s simply when your brain touches your skull from the movement or the inertia, man.”
Even when players due muster up the courage to come forward with their concussion and seek rehabilitation, the franchise’s medical staff have a job to do as well. With their job comes a separate agenda.
“The team doctor, the team trainers, they work for the team. And I love ‘em you know,” Johnson went on to say regarding medical staff for NFL teams. “They’re some good people, you now. They want to see you do good. But at the same time, they work for the team, you know. They’re trying to do whatever they can to get you back on the field and make your team look good. So if it’s not gonna make the team look good, or if you’re not gonna be on the field, then they’re tryin’ to do whatever they can to make that happen.”
NFL betting enthusiasts would like to see a guarantee on behalf of the league regarding a commitment to concussion awareness. After all sportsbooks are already affected by enough issues, addressing injury prevention will help keep teams healthy and performing at the appropriate level.