When the Workplace Is a Gridiron

The National Football League (NFL) has a dementia assistance program for retired players, and there is mounting evidence that it is sorely needed. The data show there is a link between football and later-in-life cognitive impairment. While there are some League officials who dispute the fact that playing in the NFL substantially increases the risk for dementia, the records indicate that pro football retirees are “experiencing moderate to advanced early-onset dementia at rates several times higher than the general population.” When a League-commissioned University of Michigan survey reported NFL retirees aged 50 and above showed diagnoses of cognitive disease at five times the rate of the national population, the League commented that such surveys were unreliable. To try to determine the reality of the contrasting claims, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the issue of brain injuries in football. Representatives heard stories of former football players who had struggled with homelessness, depression, and an inability to perform basic tasks after suffering hundreds of blows to the head during their careers. But some present emphasized that the NFL had made safety improvements in recent years. Several other factors related to this issue are: - the condition is not generally the result of single horrendous hit, which may be described as a concussion, but the accumulation of smaller hits over time. - there have been, of course, improvements to safety equipment, especially helmets, but those improvements have not been adequate and have not resolved the problem. - NFL players, in addition to their pro tenures, have played football in college, high school, and even before that, raising the further issue of the safety of football for children who will never play at the professional level. While Disability Management programs of more ordinary workplaces may not be adequate for NFL players without being significantly customized to the uniqueness of this workplace, there will certainly have to be acknowledgements of the problem. The League would be wise to consider the implementation of Disability Management procedures for every team. -Do you believe that NFL teams would be wise to consider the implementation of Disability Management programs? -If your child is involved in football, does this article cause concern?