NFLPA President: NFL 'Cannot Be Trusted To Do The Right Thing' To Protect Players
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Few high-profile business entities have so ruthlessly and publicly (and privately) exerted their power and leveraged their employees like the NFL has in recent years. Commissioner Roger Goodell's inconsistent and draconian style of punishment is one thing, but the league's attempt to control the narrative regarding science, health, and player safety is another bad look altogether.
In the wake of the damning reports alleging that the NFL "waged an improper, behind-the-scenes campaign" to manipulate a National Institute of Health study on concussions, NFLPA president Eric Winston roasted the league with a single tweet Monday afternoon, saying "This is why the NFLPA refused to be a part of any study with the NFL. They cannot be trusted to do the right thing when it involves players."
This doesn't necessarily make the NFL any different from a lot of big corporations who have resorted to underhanded tactics to protect their own interests, even to the detriment of their own employees. But to see the plight of former NFL players physically breaking down in general, let alone suffering from C.T.E. and head trauma, paints an altogether ugly picture.
Just when you think the NFL had given you enough "Who do they think they are?" moments, they deliver yet another. "The Shield" would disregard the well-being of its own product, shun science, eschew common sense, and blatantly betray the public trust, in the name of protecting itself and preserving its increasingly bleak future. And if players, both current and former, are looking to the league for help, they're looking in the wrong places.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
