Stingley passes away; NFL still ignorant
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by user LetsPlayTwo
In a game where one of the main elements is to tackle another grown man and slam him into the ground with no regard for his well being, you would figure that the people putting this game together would take all of the legal and precautionary measures to ensure the health and safety of their players while they're playing and after they retire, not just one or the other. The NFL has a notorious track record of not taking the most ethical approach when it comes to the health of their players. More proof of that was shown today when Patriots WR Darryl Stingley passed away.
So tell me. How many more NFL players have to die or become vegetables before the NFL takes the initiative and starts learning to protect their people? How many more families have to be torn apart because their fathers are dying at the ages of 50 something or 60 something? How many more men are going to suffer so many concussions or so many knee, back or joint problems that they can't even walk before the NFL decides to start showing that they care about their players?
Darryl Stingley was struck in the back on what many consider to be a very cheap hit by Oakland defenseman Jack Tatum in August 1978 during an exhibition game. He was left bound to a wheel chair with only the mobility of his right arm and the NFL forgot about him after he left the game. When was the last time you heard of the NFL paying for players' medical bills? When was the last time you heard of the NFL paying for funeral bills? Why shouldn't they? What did Jack Tatum get for striking Stingley in the back and paralyizing the man? Nothing.
Tatum did not attempt to even speak to Darryl Stingley until he was attempting to form his autobiography. He also said that he never attempted to apologize to Stingley because he felt like he had absolutely nothing to apologize for. And then, in the ultimate act of ignorance by both Tatum and the NFL, Tatum requested a catastrophic injury pension for "having to live through the Stingley incident."
The NFLPA refused. But why? Because they did not believe that the incident qualified underneath the term "catastrophic injury." So tell me. When a man dies and two of the main contributing factors were quadriplegia and severe spinal cord injury, is that categorized under "catastrophic"? To us, maybe. To the NFL, not if it's going to cost them money.
Rest in Peace Darryl Stingley 1951-2007
