Written by College student-athletes recently got a boon after the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) allowed them to sell the rights to their names, images, and likenesses from July 1st, 2021 and onward, so now players can be making money without having to go pro. This will be very helpful for athletes and their financial status from an early age and lessens the pressure of having to wait to be a professional athlete to help themselves and their families out. With that being said, I want to look at a specific instance in college football where I want to spread this message: Colleges, please take better care of your athletes. Make sure that you are doing your best to keep them safe and healthy for their future. As much as they matter out there on the field, court, etc., what should matter more is that they grow into responsible citizens after their careers are over.
I couldn’t find a better heading, so I had to use the one from the article I am basing this on because I couldn’t have said it better myself. I have to admit that, when I first read about this story, I was scared out of my mind… The worst part, in my opinion, was that Matt Gee (the first person you see being talked about in the article) saw four of his own former teammates go through the same debilitating symptoms, only to go through the same things himself about 16 years after the first linebacker’s (Alan Wilson) death. What a terrific group those 12 players were. Michael Williams was the starting strong-side outside linebacker on this 1989 USC (University of Southern California) team. Kurt Barber made it to the 1992 NFL Draft as a second-round pick (42nd overall) and played for four years in the NFL. Cordell Sweeney and J.R. Chesley were two of the backup SSOLBs. Junior Seau was the star of this group, as he was a first-round pick (fifth overall) in 1990 and played 20 seasons in the NFL for three teams (San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and New England Patriots). He had multiple college and professional accolades, such as being the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and a First-team All-Pac-10 in 1989 to being a 12x Pro Bowler and the 1992 NFL DPOY. Craig Hartsuyker took over the starting weak-side outside linebacker (WSOLB) position once Seau left for the draft, and he was in the Football News’ sophomore All-American team in 1987 and frequently played in a “12th man”-type role for USC. Scott Ross was an 11th round pick in the 1991 NFL Draft and played one season for the New Orleans Saints. Brian Tuliau was one of Ross’ backups at the strong-side inside linebacker (SSILB) position. David Webb was USC’s co-MVP on defense in 1991. Delmar Chesley played for two years in the NFL with the Detroit Lions. Alan Wilson was D. Chesley’s backup at the weak-side inside linebacker (WSILB) position. Lastly, Matt Gee led USC in tackles and was team captain in 1991. Of these 12 players, five lives have been lost, with none of them making it to 50 years old… This is why I ask colleges to make sure your players are better protected and that their lives are as much away from risks as possible.
I know it’s not always on the colleges and coaches, as players also say things like “put me back in, coach, I’m fine”. There will always be risks playing a contact sport like football, but I still think that the main emphasis should be on player safety and making sure these kids actually grow up and live normal, healthy lives! I don’t want to have to hear things like these following two examples in the article: “In 1989, tacklers are taught to lead with their heads. Drug tests are easy to beat. Pain is for the weak. Complaints are for the weaker. This is how the game is played” and “J.R.’s cousin, fellow Trojans linebacker Delmar Chesley, sees four position mates drop dead, and the thing that gnaws at him starts to make him angry: The linebackers hit too much. They were expected to tolerate too much pain. Not all of the old Trojans feel this way, but Delmar felt it back at school. He feels it even more now.” No, these are exactly the types of things to avoid! You don’t risk people’s livelihoods like this on a regular basis… As hard as this decision may have been for them to do so, I am so very happy that guys like Chris Borland, Andrew Luck, and Luke Kuechly retired early so as to not suffer from their repeated injuries over the course of their careers (including concussions and head trauma). I just wish that players can avoid the fates of Jovan Belcher, Evan Hansen, and Jason Hairston. Please, remember that a person’s life is not a game that you can play with like you can with sports. Get help as soon as possible and talk to your loved ones to work out your problems. Suicide is not the answer, and you should contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for support: 1-800-273-8255.
The bottom line is that it is on coaches, the administration, staff, and players themselves to keep everything in check and not try to take repeated, unnecessary risks just for a short-term gain and facing the long-term damage. I think this one paragraph kind of “woke me up” and really got me thinking more seriously about wanting to write about this: “The Trojans go 9-2-1 and then win the Rose Bowl that season, but football fools them. The linebackers think they are paying the game’s price in real time. Michael Williams takes a shot to the head tackling a running back in one game and he is slow to get up, but he stays on the field, even as his brain fogs up for the next few plays. Chesley collides with a teammate and feels the L.A. Coliseum spinning around him; he tries to stay in but falls to a knee and gets pulled. Ross, who says he would run through a brick wall for Rogge (linebackers coach Tom Roggeman), breaks a hand and keeps playing. After several games he meets his parents outside the home locker room and can’t remember whether his team won or lost. Hartsuyker breaks a foot and stays on the field. Another time, he gets concussed on a kickoff, tells trainers he is fine, finishes the game and later shows up on fraternity row with no recollection of playing that day. Somebody sets him on the floor in front of a television, like a toddler.” Just the other day, an acquaintance (Andrew Kidd) and I were discussing how former Chicago Bears QBs Jim McMahon and Jay Cutler have been worried recently about symptoms that resembled CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). This page will let you know how many past lives just in the NFL alone (who knows how many college students have gone through the same process…) have dealt with similar symptoms or actually had CTE. In the end, I really want people to read the Sports Illustrated article I hyperlinked above for two reasons: a) They should know all the good times that all these players had and get to know more about their lives and b) They should look at this article as a warning sign so they can know what kinds of behavior to watch out for in case they have someone in their lives who might be going through similar things. I just hope that, with the recent NIL rules, these college athletes can better protect themselves and their families, and that they can get the finances needed to stay safe and healthy for the future.