Family of former Bear Dave Duerson sues over his suicide

[rob19]

I'm not opposed, nor do I disagree with you that fundamental tackling should be taught better and more widely, but I think you do that in combination with safer helmets. If you reduce the chance that a concussion can happen in the first place, I think that's a good place to start.

[GoonBoss]

Broken arms or legs aren't the issue here, it's brain damage due to recurring jarring of the brain. After Chris Henry's autopsy they revealed that he had so much brain damage that he was suffering from pugilistic dementia at 25, 25! That brain damage started long before he was ever in the pro's.

If you can do something to absorb some of the shock from repeated head-jarring, you make the game safer, and not just at the professional level, but at the college and high-school level as well. There's plenty of people who play football that aren't millionaires.

I strongly disagree with both you & Goon.

You can disagree all you want. Better helmets will simply encourage bigger hits. Training kids from the ground up to tackle fundamentally is the only way.

[GoonBoss]

I'm not opposed, nor do I disagree with you that fundamental tackling should be taught better and more widely, but I think you do that in combination with safer helmets. If you reduce the chance that a concussion can happen in the first place, I think that's a good place to start.

You, of all people, should understand that treating a symptom is less effective than treating the disease.

I'd liken it to Pot. How do we deal with pot?

1. De criminalize and De demonize it.....

OR

2. Outlaw it and toss everyone in jail.

[rob19]

You, of all people, should understand that treating a symptom is less effective than treating the disease.

I'd liken it to Pot. How do we deal with pot?

1. De criminalize and De demonize it.....

OR

2. Outlaw it and toss everyone in jail.

3. Legalize it

I don't want to get too off topic on this but I believe it should be a legal commodity; it makes more economic sense that way. I don't think decriminalization is the answer.

You can disagree all you want. Better helmets will simply encourage bigger hits. Training kids from the ground up to tackle fundamentally is the only way.

Why do they have to be mutually exclusive? Why can't we have better helmets as well as teach better tackling? I don't buy that they'll try and "hit harder" with better helmets, any more than they do now.

[GoonBoss]

3. Legalize it

I don't want to get too off topic on this but I believe it should be a legal commodity; it makes more economic sense that way. I don't think decriminalization is the answer.



Why do they have to be mutually exclusive? Why can't we have better helmets as well as teach better tackling? I don't buy that they'll try and "hit harder" with better helmets, any more than they do now.

We've tried to make helmets safer for how many decades now, and for what? No tangible result. I'd argue that going to no pads, to include no
helmets would make the NFL a safer game. For that matter, we could subtract equipment all the way down to nothing and I'd bet we'd have many
fewer concussions. Safer helmets aren't the answer. Fundamental training, and discipline on how to tackle properly is where the resources need to
be sent...

But....That's not sexy...there's no money in football fundamentals...Only safety, discipline and toughness.