Retired NFL player Thomas Jones talks about players needing more information to make health decisions for themselves in the short and long term.
[Thomas Jones] If I was advocating for a change in the NFL as far as the concussion situation— there is really not too much more you can do, based on what I'm seeing. On the field stuff is going to happen. Probably just the off the field issues and maybe the acknowledgement of what's been going on and diagnosing guys, and giving guys an opportunity to really get themselves together before they go in. Almost telling guys, "Listen, you are not going back in." It's consent under pressure, and it's consent under lack of information. You know? Someone tells you, "Hey man, there's a million dollars in that room." And you go in there, and the lion eats you. I mean. They didn't tell you a lion was in there. Right? So if they told you a lion was in there, maybe you might still go or you might not. But at least least you had the option to say, "You know what? There's a lion in there. I might not go." Right? It's the same thing. It's the lack of information, you know? We're trained warriors. Of course, if we can play, we want to play. But—you know—there just has to be a lot more emphasis on—you know—the diagnosis at the time. And not what the score is.
Posted on BrainLine August 19, 2013.
About the author: Thomas Jones
Thomas Quinn Jones is a former American football running back who played 12 seasons in the National Football League. He is among the top 25 leading rushers in NFL history.
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