JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew wonders how much of the NFL’s efforts to prevent or properly treat concussions have to do with lawsuits brought by former players against the league and its teams.
The NFL’s leading rusher spoke out about the issue again Wednesday, nearly a week after telling The Associated Press he would hide a possible head injury so he could stay in a game.
“I’ve had concussions before, and it wasn’t this big deal about concussions,” Jones-Drew said. “The only reason they’re making a big deal about concussions right now is because the league is getting sued over it. Before this, you never heard about it. A couple of years ago, you didn’t hear anything about it.”
After NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was grilled about his sport’s concussion policies at a congressional hearing in October 2009, the league made several significant changes.
Starting last summer, at least eight lawsuits have been filed against the NFL by dozens of retired players who say they have medical problems related to brain injuries from their time in professional football. The NFL’s stance, in part, is that here was no misconduct or liability on the league’s part.
Jones-Drew called the possibility of serious injury in football an “occupational hazard.”
“You know playing football you’re going to get hurt, right?” Jones-Drew said. “In the back of your mind, you’ve got to know that the worst that can happen is you can break your neck and be paralyzed for the rest of your life, right?”
