"Some former Jets, Giants pay for fame with pain, disabilities"

[BroadwayRay]

http://www.northjersey.com/closter/F...abilities.html

"The desperate prayer often escapes Wesley Walker’s lips in the dead of night.

When the pain grows intolerable, he sits alone in the dark watching movies, passing the sleepless hours that plague him almost daily.

“I’ve sat in bed, praying ‘Jesus, God, would you make the pain go away?’ ” said the 57-year-old Walker. “I just don’t want to go through this anymore. I would give anything just for a day not to have this happen.”

The former Jets Pro Bowl receiver has been unable to feel his feet for 25 years and suffers from “constant, wrenching” pain running up his arms and deep inside his hands — which now shake — caused by nerve damage.

This is life for Walker, and many of his former colleagues. While tens of millions of fans are focused on Sunday’s Super Bowl, Jets and Giants once at the center of attention deal quietly with illnesses such as Walker’s..."

[Joe W. Namath]

Geez man. God bless.

[Warfish]

10 Years. More money than most of us will make in a lifetime. Famous, beloved by millions in their home city. Can literally make a living by signing his name a few times a day or showing up to give a talk on sportmanship or the like.

Yes, the pain is a bad thing. But NFL Player is hardly the only career choice that results in pain in your old age. Plenty of non-famous, non-rich, non-retired-at-35 careers give just as much, if not more, pain in your late 50's and 60's.

I'm a big supporter of the NFL providing healthcare fo rit's players post-retirement. For them, it;s as easy, affordable, right thing to do.

What I'm not for is putting these rich, famous, beloved former players on some kind of martyr pedestal where we'll all going to go "awwwww" and cry tears over them post-career kneee pain.

You know whose pain I would cry for. The steel worker who build the Verazanno Narrows Bridge for a few bucks a day, and lived the last years of his life in pain from those years of working steel.

[BroadwayRay]

Originally Posted by Warfish

10 Years. More money than most of us will make in a lifetime. Famous, beloved by millions in their home city. Can literally make a living by signing his name a few times a day or showing up to give a talk on sportmanship or the like.

Yes, the pain is a bad thing. But NFL Player is hardly the only career choice that results in pain in your old age. Plenty of non-famous, non-rich, non-retired-at-35 careers give just as much, if not more, pain in your late 50's and 60's.

I'm a big supporter of the NFL providing healthcare fo rit's players post-retirement. For them, it;s as easy, affordable, right thing to do.

What I'm not for is putting these rich, famous, beloved former players on some kind of martyr pedestal where we'll all going to go "awwwww" and cry tears over them post-career kneee pain.

You know whose pain I would cry for. The steel worker who build the Verazanno Narrows Bridge for a few bucks a day, and lived the last years of his life in pain from those years of working steel.

I shed tears for both the steel workers and the football players. They both are deserving. I'm heartbroken to find out that Bruce Harper, one of my favorite players from those years, is suffering so much. Same for Walker. They gave up years of their lives so middle class slobs like me could have some satisfaction on Sunday to get ready for another work week. And I'll always be appreciative of that fact, for the players back then, and the players now. The difference, though, is the players back then had no idea that getting knocked cold would have lifelong repurcussions. What this story should do is make people realize it doesn't have to be this way. Steps should be taken to help prevent these types of debilitating injuries.

[IHATEDOLPHINS]

Originally Posted by Warfish

10 Years. More money than most of us will make in a lifetime. Famous, beloved by millions in their home city. Can literally make a living by signing his name a few times a day or showing up to give a talk on sportmanship or the like.

Yes, the pain is a bad thing. But NFL Player is hardly the only career choice that results in pain in your old age. Plenty of non-famous, non-rich, non-retired-at-35 careers give just as much, if not more, pain in your late 50's and 60's.

I'm a big supporter of the NFL providing healthcare fo rit's players post-retirement. For them, it;s as easy, affordable, right thing to do.

What I'm not for is putting these rich, famous, beloved former players on some kind of martyr pedestal where we'll all going to go "awwwww" and cry tears over them post-career kneee pain.

You know whose pain I would cry for. The steel worker who build the Verazanno Narrows Bridge for a few bucks a day, and lived the last years of his life in pain from those years of working steel.

I totally agree

I'm 35 and I remember when I was a kid there was a story on playing football took something like 12 years off your life.

These guys knew the risks.Should they get the best medical care.Of course that's on the NFL and NFLPA...but all this coming out now about football being violent.This has been known for years.

[Untouchable]

Originally Posted by Warfish

10 Years. More money than most of us will make in a lifetime. Famous, beloved by millions in their home city. Can literally make a living by signing his name a few times a day or showing up to give a talk on sportmanship or the like.

Yes, the pain is a bad thing. But NFL Player is hardly the only career choice that results in pain in your old age. Plenty of non-famous, non-rich, non-retired-at-35 careers give just as much, if not more, pain in your late 50's and 60's.

I'm a big supporter of the NFL providing healthcare fo rit's players post-retirement. For them, it;s as easy, affordable, right thing to do.

What I'm not for is putting these rich, famous, beloved former players on some kind of martyr pedestal where we'll all going to go "awwwww" and cry tears over them post-career kneee pain.

You know whose pain I would cry for. The steel worker who build the Verazanno Narrows Bridge for a few bucks a day, and lived the last years of his life in pain from those years of working steel.

This

[JetsCrazey]

they knew the risks. NFL should provide these guys with better retirement benefits though. Guys who played in the 70s and 80s didn't make a killing like they do today.

[kmsurfs2000]

Originally Posted by JetsCrazey

they knew the risks. NFL should provide these guys with better retirement benefits though. Guys who played in the 70s and 80s didn't make a killing like they do today.

um most did not know the risks not like today-they knew they could break stuff but most had no idea they would be crippled in older years and with their brains severely damaged-todays players are now aware of this and this is recent

harry carson recently said knowing what he knows now and he is healthy he would never have played the game and does not want anybody in his family to play the game

the NFL and players today have in many instances turned their backs on those that made the league what it is today

there are many of the great jets I watched play guys like toon, and walker for examples that are really in bad shape

the organization should help older players

[revischrist]

Hate to see Wesley looking like that. He was disabled coming into the league and he is far worse off now.

[TheBlairThomasFumble]

Originally Posted by kmsurfs2000

um most did not know the risks not like today-they knew they could break stuff but most had no idea they would be crippled in older years and with their brains severely damaged-todays players are now aware of this and this is recent

harry carson recently said knowing what he knows now and he is healthy he would never have played the game and does not want anybody in his family to play the game

the NFL and players today have in many instances turned their backs on those that made the league what it is today

there are many of the great jets I watched play guys like toon, and walker for examples that are really in bad shape

the organization should help older players

I agree with this. It's one thing to say that these guys knew or should of known their knees and other joints would be affected by an NFL career but certainly there was no widespread medical knowledge of the real effects of traumatic brain injury until this past decade.

A lot of these guys suffer from depression and memory loss. I seriously doubt someone sat down Walker and Harper in 1979 and said "if you play football for several seasons in the future you may be driving one day in the car and have no idea where you are going. You may have constant headaches. You may have memory loss." That's just some effect of a traumatic brain injury.

Today, people who had been exposed to asbestos are able to collect damages because companies systematically hid the risks from their workers. If it turns out the NFL knew more about concussions and their effects in the 80s than it was letting on, these guys are going to get paid.

[Vinny Testaverde's Niece]

Originally Posted by IHATEDOLPHINS

I totally agree

I'm 35 and I remember when I was a kid there was a story on playing football took something like 12 years off your life.

These guys knew the risks.Should they get the best medical care.Of course that's on the NFL and NFLPA...but all this coming out now about football being violent.This has been known for years.

I don't think it's about dying early, I think it's about quality of life when you're alive.

[nycdan]

Read this:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...75/1/index.htm

[Apache 51]

They knew the risks, but was anyone looking out for them?I don't think anyone really knew the consequences and they deserve help from their own industry. Todays player is getting it right the consequence for the fan is they all step out of bounds now.

[SCITSCAT]

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article...ry-3262920.php

Jim Otto one of the greatest Centers of all time. Check what happened to him.

[Savage69]

Take a walk through a Veterans hospital sometime if you have any tears left that you shed for millionaire football players..

[ASH_1962]

Originally Posted by Warfish

10 Years. More money than most of us will make in a lifetime. Famous, beloved by millions in their home city. Can literally make a living by signing his name a few times a day or showing up to give a talk on sportmanship or the like.

Yes, the pain is a bad thing. But NFL Player is hardly the only career choice that results in pain in your old age. Plenty of non-famous, non-rich, non-retired-at-35 careers give just as much, if not more, pain in your late 50's and 60's.

I'm a big supporter of the NFL providing healthcare fo rit's players post-retirement. For them, it;s as easy, affordable, right thing to do.

What I'm not for is putting these rich, famous, beloved former players on some kind of martyr pedestal where we'll all going to go "awwwww" and cry tears over them post-career kneee pain.

You know whose pain I would cry for. The steel worker who build the Verazanno Narrows Bridge for a few bucks a day, and lived the last years of his life in pain from those years of working steel.

Jeez man way to be compassionate...I am sure you did not sit in Shea watching Walker and Harper play ..

but why can't we feel compassion for both sides you mentioned, the NFL player and the Steel worker? Why does it have to be one or the other?

[rmeyer52]

You have to wonder if the NFL is getting bigger than the players. They don't test players for growth hormones which should be mandatory and constant pain often results in depression and suicide. Down the street from me is a former offensive lineman for the RAMS and he can barely walk. He lost over 100 pounds had both knees replaced and now may need both hips replaced.

[FF2®]

The NFL has a big problem.

[kmsurfs2000]

Originally Posted by Savage69

Take a walk through a Veterans hospital sometime if you have any tears left that you shed for millionaire football players..

most of the older players that are in bad shape did not make huge money in fact some worked second jobs in the off season-also their medical bills have left many near homeless

vets deserve all of our respect and then some but that does not mean I cant feel sadness for former players that brought me much joy watching them play and some of these guys like toon walker and harper were champs off the field doing great work with kids etc...

the jets should take care of those that helped turn this franchise into a huge business

[BroadwayRay]

Originally Posted by ASH_1962

but why can't we feel compassion for both sides you mentioned, the NFL player and the Steel worker? Why does it have to be one or the other?

Because some people, including a few in this thread, are going to hold onto their preconceived notions that all NFL players are spoiled, overpaid and an insult to the American work ethic. The fact that most former NFLers age 50 or over never were millionaires doesn't quite sink in. A lot of people feel that way, which is probably why the NFL has been able to get away with abandoning players like Walker and Harper with its image untarnished.