Ed Cunningham has major issues with the violence and injuries of football, so with that, on moral grounds, he has left his six figure part time job at ESPN. I liked him in the booth. Too bad. I guess you got to do what you got to do.
ESPN Analyst Calls It A Career
- Thread starter Toby Smart
- Start date
Does he not know that football has been violate ever since football was invented? It's always been a part of the game as well as injuries.
As a captain of a college champion and veteran offensive lineman in the NFL, Cunningham assuredly has more than a passing familiarity with the violence in football. What has irreversibly turned him off is recent revelations about the long term effects of brain injuries and head trauma. One of his former teammates was ex-Notre Dame star Dave Duerson, whom you might remember killed himself with a gunshot to the heart to preserve his brain for clinical study.
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He probably could have done more for the cause had he stayed on the air.
His platform would be much larger.
As it stands, he'll be applauded for a couple days, then the memory of Ed Cunningham will fade away as CFB 2017 opening weekend kicks into high gear.
I for one applaud him for walking away from a high paying job based on principles alone. Took some guts to do that.
His platform would be much larger.
As it stands, he'll be applauded for a couple days, then the memory of Ed Cunningham will fade away as CFB 2017 opening weekend kicks into high gear.
I for one applaud him for walking away from a high paying job based on principles alone. Took some guts to do that.
Many in the entertainment business have taken their own lives over the past few years. Unfortunately, it really is a long list. I'm hoping the late night talk show hosts all follow the lead of Ed Cunningham by resigning , in support of research and study on why this is happening among their peers.
So I guess those principles don't include Marc Buoniconti or Darryl Stingley getting paralyzed from the neck down.
Weren't those regarded as fluke injuries? I think what Cunningham is turned off about is that the dangers in football are now suspected of being intrinsic to just playing the game.
No, they aren't fluke injuries. They are injuries that have a significant chance of occurring.
I get what you are saying about Cunningham. What I'm saying is, there are a variety of devastating injuries intrinsic to the game, and brain damage is just one of them. My point is if brain trauma is your "red line," then your red line is set at too high of a threshold.
Maybe "fluke" isn't the proper word, but such injuries are still relatively rare, The greater concern now is information pertaining to the unavoidable rat-a-tat-tat sub-concussive hits sustained on virtually every play by most players, as well as the act of routine tackling. These are the reasons why participation in youth football is dwindling. Obviously, everyone has known that risk of injury exists in football, and determining tradeoffs requires some soul searching.
I understand what. My problem is, you shouldn't need all this information to figure out something that's common sense. To play football, you have to wear a protective helmet that's damn near military grade. That alone would tell me, "Gee, this game might be dangerous. I could sustain some serious head injuries."
Now here's my other problem. You mentioned youth participation is dwindling. My problem is, why is it dwindling now? There are plenty of examples of players being maimed, crippled, or even paralyzed from football. So, parents were cool with all that, but head injuries, "Woah, that's where I draw the line!"
My issue is this. I can't stand when people have to wait around to be told something "officially" that's blatantly obvious. If you put up with it all this time, there's no need to freak out now just because something obvious to the naked eye has been "confirmed by the experts."
Again, football has always been identified as a dangerous game and there have been all kinds of rules changes and equipment enhancements to address that. What hadn't been known was the insidious effect of sub-concussive hits that eventually take their toll. You don't hear an announcer gleefully shout "man, did he get his bell rung!!!" anymore after a particularly brutal hit. I think it's the awareness that safety precautions can't resolve these dangers that have led to the decline in football participation. It's not just waking up and having a different reaction to something you already knew, it's responding to dangers that you didn't previously know. The belief now is that everyone is vulnerable to a viable risk of incurring an unavoidable injury rather than just a percentage of players who might get hurt.
You didn't have to know the insidious risk specifically. You knew enough just by common sense. When you "get your bell rung," anyone who isn't a complete idiot knows that's not good for you. The basic danger was already known. It's now simply described more in detail.
Beyond that, the exact danger hasn't been pinpointed. It's unknown how prevalent these injuries actually are. (Harkening back to your probability comment.) It's also unclear if this is more due to long-term exposure, like a professional career, or if simply playing as a kid can lead to the injuries. It's also not been proven that the suicides among the ex-players. It's a classic case of people having knee-jerk reactions and not thinking logically. People were too willing to write off the dangers in the old days, and now are too afraid of the dangers. People that can't think rationally and react emotionally typically make bad judgments.
Well, as usual, you're arguing a philippic based on your particular take of things. There is relatively new research out that indicates football players are infinitely more susceptible to injury than previously.thought. Whether you think it's overreaction, it is new information, as irregular brain waves stemming from repetitive hits had never been identified. Whether or not you think its common sense when a player had his "bell rung," people didn't think that he might very well have incurred a bruise to the brain. He was just considered to have been a little shaken up and in need of a short timeout before reentering the battlefield. So I'm guessing you haven't had any kids and never have been challenged to rethink the issue of having them play.
And that goes back to my original point. You have plenty of players who are crippled or even paralyzed, and THAT isn't enough to make you rethink letting your kids play?????
What the hell does it take for you to "rethink" that? "Well, my kid might not be able to walk for the rest of his life, but he gets brain trauma, now THAT'S something I have to worry about!"
Ed Cunningham never though about that when he was "cheerleading" for a dangerous sport?
Nobody has disputed your original point that football is a dangerous game with risks. The dangers were out in the open and, as I said, efforts have been made with rules and equipment to reduce the risks. The new issue that has totally triggered a scare is the thought that repetitive hits, as an innate part of the game, can't be controlled or significantly eliminated. I'm not sure if you're arguing with me, but you have to be aware of declining participation numbers in feeder schools and the rising trend of players quitting because of concerns over their health. Chris Borland of the 49ers quit at age 26, Sidney Rice of the Seahawks quit at age 27. At ND, Steve Elmer quit after his junior year citing health concerns, and Texas QB David Ash felt he had used up his quota of concussions to continue safely playing. There are plenty of other examples one could research. I'd imagine your puzzlement over the attitude changes towards the game should best be posed to them.
So yes, the focus on the dangers of football have compelled people to realize that it's even more of a threat to your health than originally perceived. It is a matter of degree, especially when further understanding establishes that there's no way to prevent head injuries without overhauling how the game is played. I'd say that the news of both how unavoidable and life altering these injuries are makes a quantum leap in fear. Walking with a limp due to hip replacement and multiple fractures is one thing, being either confined to a room with the shades pulled because light is unbearable or a drooling vegetable is another.
As captain of an NCAA champion and long time NFL player, no doubt Ed Cunningham loved the thrill of playing the game and the skills and artistry that football offered. I'm somewhat conjecturing, but I imagine he could accept the tradeoffs in known dangers, but when further information alerted him to the recently discovered threats and their especial devastating consequences, he thought enough was enough.
