During a radio interview with an Atlanta sports radio station, an NFLPA official addressed progress in the areas of player concussions and alleged “pay-to-injure” programs, among other issues.
George Atallah was interviewed by John Kincade, a host on talk radio station 680 The Fan. He said that the players association has conducted a review of potential improvements in helmet technologies, and that it is working with helmet manufacturers to ensure that players have available to them the most sophisticated helmets.
“We’re working with the NFL … to ensure that helmet replacement programs trickle down all the way to youth football,” Atallah said.
He also told Kincade that an increase in the amount of independent neurologists on sidelines at games, dedicated to detecting concussions, takes the decision out of players’ hands and puts it in those of trained medical experts.
“The choice is not his (the player’s); it’s a medical professional’s choice,” he said, adding that if a player fails a sideline test administered by an independent neurologist after suffering an apparent concussion, he would not return to play in the game.
“To us, the onus and the responsibility is on the medial staff to identify when a player can or can’t [play],” Atallah said, adding that the players association has no formal or informal involvement in the thousands of former players’ lawsuits against the NFL.
Still Awaiting Evidence
Kincade also asked the spokesman for the union’s take on the alleged “pay-to-injure” program that has resulted in purported suspensions of four players: Jonathan Vilma, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith and Scott Fujita.
The union still hasn’t seen hard proof from the NFL’s investigation into the matter, and it is continuing to ask the league to share with it—in a transparent way—any facts from those findings.
“We haven’t seen specific evidence to say, for example, that Will Smith went out with an intent to injure, actually did the injury on the field and actually collected money for injuring another player,” Atallah said.
All players are appealing their Commissioner Goodell-issued punishments, announced last week.
“Our purpose is to defend all players to make sure that they have fair due process,” Atallah said.
You can listen to the interview and the rest of the show on its webpage here.
Among the NFLPA advancements in the area of player health and safety are:
-An increase in the injury protection benefit, to 50 percent of the player’s salary up to $1 million in the year after the injury.
-A limitation of offseason workouts, to nine weeks.
-A restriction on second daily practices during minicamps, to walk-through activities only.
-Less hitting in preseason training camps, with only one padded practice per day limited to three hours.
-A limit of 14 total padded practices during the regular season and one padded practice per week in the postseason.
-Four days off per month during the regular season and postseason.
-A new neuro-cognitive disability benefit. Vested players with credited seasons after 1994 are eligible to apply any time up to the age of 55. A player does not have to prove football causation to qualify for this sliding scale benefit, which runs for 15 years or until he reaches the age of 55.
By Khalil Garriott
