Calling It Quits Early

Cincinnati Bengals OL Jacob Bell has called it quits
after the death of Junior Seau.

Cincinnati Bengals newly-signed OL Jacob Bell has decided to retire, only a month after signing a one-year deal with the Bengals. Bell says the decision was easy. Preserving his health and quality of life was more important than the six to seven-figure salaries being made yearly. Bell also stated the recent death of Junior Seau certainly played a part in his decision to call it quits.

Seau's death of a suicide has raised many questions lately as to how the NFL and its players deal with the injuries that are affecting players after their careers are over. New York Giants DE Osi Umenyiora said earlier this week that he knows he'll be in a wheelchair by age 45, but it is worth it. Other players have also come out and say that even if they deal with health problems by the time they're 50, the journey and the career will be worth it. 

Seau wasn't the only one who committed suicide recently. Ray Easterling, who was a defensive back for the Atlanta Falcons in the '70s, committed suicide on April 19, claiming his life at the age of 62. Easterling was one of the retired players who filed a lawsuit against the NFL last year in Philadelphia. Other players who have committed suicide in recent years include Dave Duerson and Andre Waters, among others.

Is it truly worth it to make millions of dollars but jeopardize your long-term health? It takes money to receive quality health care. When you're retired, surgeries and other medical procedures are no longer taken care of by the team. It has to come from your pocket if you do not have quality health care. That could be millions of dollars if you need multiple surgeries to save your legs, or a hip replacement. 

When talking about head injuries, there isn't a corrective procedure to help you get your memory back after numerous blows to the head. CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, has been discovered in the brains of Waters, Duerson, and Chris Henry, the 26-year old wide receiver from the Cincinnati Bengals who died when he fell out of the bed of a pickup truck his fiancee was driving. He is the youngest known athlete to have shown signs of CTE. 

Former Bengals LB Reggie Williams played with the Bengals from 1976 to 1989, helping the Bengals get to two Super Bowls, losing both to the San Francisco 49ers. However, the longevity and physical demands of his career took a toll on his knees, with both of them being amputated. Williams had a total of 18 surgeries on both knees, which resulted in a failure for both of them to be saved. Is this kind of pain and sacrifice of limbs and other body parts worth the paycheck?

The more interesting part will be how the NFL goes forward with these retired players suffering so much. How will the NFL be in 25 years? How will the current players in their 20s be when they're in their 40s? That remains to be seen. 

How Did Suggs Do It?

Baltimore Ravens LB Terrell Suggs may miss the
entire upcoming season with a torn Achilles.

ESPN and other sports media outlets reported on Thursday that Baltimore Ravens LB Terrell Suggs would miss the 2012 season with a torn Achilles tendon. It wasn't reported initially how he got the injury but there were rumors that he injured his Achilles tendon playing basketball. Suggs quickly negated that notion, saying he injured himself during a conditioning test. The Baltimore Ravens or anyone else have not quite confirmed if the injury happened that way, but Suggs will have his hands full going forward.

Suggs vowed to return during the season as opposed to missing the entire season. That remains to be seen. If Suggs misses the entire season, or a significant portion of the season, it could have a significant impact. The Ravens drafted Alabama LB Courtney Upshaw in the second round and they still have pass rushing LB Sergio Kindle. There's opportunity there for players to step up in Suggs' absence, so it remains to be seen whether his injury will be a major blow.

Suggs won the AFC Defensive Player of the Year award, but he won it in a conference that didn't have any clear dominant defensive players. Suggs did have 14 sacks, but there were numerous NFC defensive players with better production overall. The Ravens schedule will not be easy either, having to play the NFC East. So it'll be clear whether Suggs injury will be a blow.

The Ravens were 12-4 last year and won the AFC North division. While many expect them to do the same this year and compete for a championship, many shouldn't be overly optimistic. The Ravens do have a more difficult schedule this upcoming season, and it is not clear if QB Joe Flacco will make the necessary improvements needed for the Ravens to be a title contender. A lot of analysts looked at his performance in the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots and thought he turned the corner.

If you think back a week earlier, Flacco looked pathetic against the Houston Texans. During the regular season, bad losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks were solely because of his performance. I'm not entirely convinced he has turned the corner just because he did well against a bad defense statistically. I am interested to see if Flacco can elevate his game consistently. I also definitely want to see if Suggs' absence affects their vaunted defense.

Seau's Death

Former NFL LB Junior Seau dies at 43.

Former San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots LB Junior Seau claimed his life in his home in Oceanside, CA Wednesday morning at the young age of 43, bringing up questions on concussions among football players once again. Seau decided to shoot himself in the chest instead of the head, which is identical to the course of action former Chicago Bears S Dave Duerson took when he killed himself. Duerson left a note asking for his brain to be examined.

There was no note left by Seau, but he most likely shot himself in the chest because he wants his brain examined as well. This piece of information can be used against the NFL in the lawsuits former players are filing against the NFL. Everyone will be searching for answers in the next couple of days, and Sports Illustrated's Peter King already reported Boston University wants to research his brain. Answers will be coming soon in that event.

However, for the city of San Diego, they only have two sports heroes. That would be Junior Seau and Tony Gwynn. With Seau's death, this hits Chargers fans and the city of San Diego very hard. Seau has been in California for the majority of his life, growing up in Oceanside and attending USC before playing with the Chargers for 12 seasons. To the Southern half of California, Seau's death stings as well.

The grief and dismay his mother displayed was very real, and it's something no parent wants to deal with ever in life. The problem remains, where does the sport of football go from here? Of course, the NFL will thrive in the foreseeable future. What if suicides from retired players continue to occur? There are many players currently playing who are saying they know the game is violent and know the consequences they may have to suffer when their careers are over.

With this lawsuit from retired players coming to mind, how did they not know the dangers of crashing into each other numerous times a game? Why did they believe that returning to the game with a concussion wouldn't have possible long-term effects on the brain? A concussion is an injury that occurs from blow that causes the brain to move. I'm pretty sure doctors and medical personnel knew that back then. Why weren't the players proactive back then in making sure they were doing the right thing for their health?

The retired players have no one to blame but themselves. Sure, the NFL could've been much better in educating the players on concussion and other head injuries. The NFL also should've been much more supportive of these players in their retirement, as opposed to having them attempt to find their way when their careers are over. These players, however, should've known that constant blows to the head would have an effect on their livelihood.

As for Seau, his death should encourage retired players to talk with as many people as possible if they are depressed or going through problems. Marcellus Wiley, former teammate of Seau in San Diego who's an NFL analyst on ESPN now, said Seau had too much pride during his playing days and even in retirement. It appeared no one knew Seau was going through problems. Obviously he was, and it's simply an awful and devastating time for his family and friends. Many others can certainly learn from this and make sure their loved ones are okay.