David Whitley: Dolphins' 'King of Pain' deserves a little relief

[DKphin]

Dan Johnson went from starting tight end to painkiller junkie
Dan Johnson, who relied on painkillers to play, says Don Shula practiced willful ignorance with injured player


Dan Johnson was surprised to hear that hundreds of former players are suing the NFL for turning them into painkiller freaks. Surprised because he could be Exhibit A.
"Nobody did more than I did," he said of the injections.
Johnson played tight end for the Miami from 1982-88. Those years can be summed up by Johnson's nickname:
King of Pain.
He was a major player in a massive game of NFL Make Believe. Broken bodies would recover overnight, and everybody from players to coaches to team doctors could pretend that was normal.
The charade was great until all those tears and fractures and internal organs stopped playing along. Then the bill comes due and you find yourself all but bedridden in a small Minnesota town.
"When you first quit football, yeah, it's worth it," Johnson said.
And now?

Read more:http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/...ey-0607-20150606-column.html?track=rss#page=1

 

[raving]

There's no story here.

The NFL is about very large, very fast, very strong incredibly gifted athletes hitting each other as hard as they humanly possibly can.

Players' bodies are destroyed in the process.

We cheer for it - we pack stadiums to see it - we watch TV and discuss it ad-nauseam on the internet.

The result that players took/take drugs to deal with the pain is an obvious by-product.

People are getting rich on the backs of these young men - and mostly we as fans and the populace are shielded from the reality of the sport.

But can we fans really claim ignorants - no.

Was Pete Rossele and the rest of the coaches and staff and players aware that guys drugged it up all the time to make a buck - to be the hero - to feed his family - to make his career? HELL YES!

Now its a story?

Dan Johnson and the rest of the former players deserve a boat load of money - and I hope they get it - but c'mon what's the story? America loves this game so it will continue just as is!

 

[BlueFin]

BS....I have real problem with people who knowingly do whatever it takes to be famous and make much more than the average person.....and then turns around years later and pretends to be an innocent victim.

Pussification of America!

 

[TheWalrus]

It wasn't some huge mystery what they were getting into. Regardless of whether Johnson asked about the side effects of the pills he took or the long term consequences of his actions, the common sense he appeals to -- there's no way to be injured and keep playing without medication -- also applies to himself. He knew it was probably a dumb thing to do for his long term health. He did it anyway.

On the other hand, if you sustain injuries that will affect you for a lifetime at work -- and whatever else the NFL is, it's work -- you should be entitled to a lifetime of compensation. That's the way it works for every field of work where there are known dangers -- from coal mining to deep sea fishing to policing and the military. Why should the NFL be any different?

That's how you force the system to self regulate, by forcing the team -- rather than the player -- to make a cost/benefit analysis of their medical decisions. Because until the teams -- or the league, whatever -- are forced to pay for long term medical care for disabled players, they'll have no incentive to do anything except make threats, veiled or otherwise, that leave the decisions in the hands of players like Johnson.

 

[BlueFin]

It wasn't some huge mystery what they were getting into. Regardless of whether Johnson asked about the side effects of the pills he took or the long term consequences of his actions, the common sense he appeals to -- there's no way to be injured and keep playing without medication -- also applies to himself. He knew it was probably a dumb thing to do for his long term health. He did it anyway.

On the other hand, if you sustain injuries that will affect you for a lifetime at work -- and whatever else the NFL is, it's work -- you should be entitled to a lifetime of compensation. That's the way it works for every field of work where there are known dangers -- from coal mining to deep sea fishing to policing and the military. Why should the NFL be any different?

That's how you force the system to self regulate, by forcing the team -- rather than the player -- to make a cost/benefit analysis of their medical decisions. Because until the teams -- or the league, whatever -- are forced to pay for long term medical care for disabled players, they'll have no incentive to do anything except make threats, veiled or otherwise, that leave the decisions in the hands of players like Johnson.

There's a difference between a shipyard worker....making $40k a year......whose exposed unknowingly to asbestos........, and an NFL player.....which by definition involves violent contact....making 400k minimum....and vested with a lifetime pension after 4 years...give me a break!

Whats next?....MMA fighters claiming they didn't know getting their head pounded in could cause long term damage?

This just in.....the estate of Evil Knievel is suing every venue they played at.....he didn't know being a daredevil was dangerous.....yeah....please stop.

 

[TheWalrus]

There's a difference between a shipyard worker....making $40k a year......whose exposed unknowingly to asbestos........, and an NFL player.....which by definition involves violent contact....making 400k minimum....and vested with a lifetime pension after 4 years...give me a break!

Whats next?....MMA fighters claiming they didn't know getting their head pounded in could cause long term damage?

This just in.....the estate of Evil Knievel is suing every venue they played at.....he didn't know being a daredevil was dangerous.....yeah....please stop.

Oh, hey. I had no idea that workplace laws evaporate once you make a certain amount of money. That's a neat idea. Did you get it from Karl Marx?

Your MMA example sounds like it was written by someone who's done too much MMA. In that sport, the fighters employ the doctors, and fights can be postponed when there are medical issues. Likewise, Evel Knievel was his own boss. He did the promotion, secured the contracts and ran the show. If something went wrong at his show and he was hurt, who exactly is he going to sue? Himself? But if someone else who worked on the show had been hurt, I'm gonna go ahead and assume that the "stunt shows are dangerous" line would not have held up in court.

And let's not forget... acting can be dangerous too, especially if you're on an action movie. Lots of running, and jumping, and explosions. But you know that going in, right? And it pays well! So if you fall down the stairs or tear your ACL or get decapitated by a helicopter -- like Vic Morrow did on The Twilight Zone movie -- then you're just **** out of luck. It's not like he didn't know there was a helicopter in the shot and that helicopters are known to crash. But... let's not forget acting is lucrative. I mean let's definitely not forget that. Which means that according to Judge BlueFin, the Morrow family could go **** themselves. With a helicopter blade, presumably.

The difference between a street corner magician who lights himself on fire doing a dangerous trick and a guy who works for the circus and lights himself on fire doing a dangerous trick... is not a small one. Workers comp should be available to all workers if they're injured on the job to the point where they're no longer employable. Doesn't matter if they're driving a truck and crash or if they're a high priced defense lawyer who gets his skull kicked in and can't talk anymore because he couldn't get a guy out of jail.

 

[royalshank]

Meh. You have to be a moron to not think there is something wrong w this:

"I was taking 50 to 100 Percocets a day," he said. "There were never enough." Holy crap!!! That's like 2-4 per hour in a 24 hour day. C'mon man. The whole thing is a shame but I'm not sure there is an answer. And I was one of those fans who was pissed when Seattle wouldn't put Cliff Avril back in the SB after he got concussed. Suddenly Brady had time to throw and that was the begging of the end for the Hawks D. So I'm just as guilty I guess. I was shouting "put Avril back in" in the heat of the moment as his backup couldn't get any pressure and the NE passing game started to dink and dunk at record pace. I saw him get his head near knocked off but in the moment I didn't care. As long as idiots like me watch there will be no end to this.

For the record, I liked Johnson - he, Bruce Hardy and Joe Rose formed a real nice trio of solid TEs who could block and catch for us. I know, I'm getting off topic.

 

[BlueFin]

Oh, hey. I had no idea that workplace laws evaporate once you make a certain amount of money. That's a neat idea. Did you get it from Karl Marx?

Your MMA example sounds like it was written by someone who's done too much MMA. In that sport, the fighters employ the doctors, and fights can be postponed when there are medical issues. Likewise, Evel Knievel was his own boss. He did the promotion, secured the contracts and ran the show. If something went wrong at his show and he was hurt, who exactly is he going to sue? Himself? But if someone else who worked on the show had been hurt, I'm gonna go ahead and assume that the "stunt shows are dangerous" line would not have held up in court.

And let's not forget... acting can be dangerous too, especially if you're on an action movie. Lots of running, and jumping, and explosions. But you know that going in, right? And it pays well! So if you fall down the stairs or tear your ACL or get decapitated by a helicopter -- like Vic Morrow did on The Twilight Zone movie -- then you're just **** out of luck. It's not like he didn't know there was a helicopter in the shot and that helicopters are known to crash. But... let's not forget acting is lucrative. I mean let's definitely not forget that. Which means that according to Judge BlueFin, the Morrow family could go **** themselves. With a helicopter blade, presumably.

The difference between a street corner magician who lights himself on fire doing a dangerous trick and a guy who works for the circus and lights himself on fire doing a dangerous trick... is not a small one. Workers comp should be available to all workers if they're injured on the job to the point where they're no longer employable. Doesn't matter if they're driving a truck and crash or if they're a high priced defense lawyer who gets his skull kicked in and can't talk anymore because he couldn't get a guy out of jail.

Dude....if you decide to play a sport that involves violent contact....you are saying I accept the consequences and risk involved.

What you are going too see is players having to sign waivers in the future to eliminate this kind of crap....if you don't want to play a violent sport....go do something else for a living.

Oh...and by the way...in Karl Marx's world you wouldn't have the freedom in the first place, to take risks of whatever nature, in effort to make gobs of money playing a sport.

And I love that....just don't expect everybody else to bail you out when your risks fail.

 

[TheWalrus]

Dude....if you decide to play a sport that involves violent contact....you are saying I accept the consequences and risk involved.

What you are going too see is players having to sign waivers in the future to eliminate this kind of crap....if you don't want to play a violent sport....go do something else for a living.

Oh...and by the way...in Karl Marx's world you wouldn't have the freedom in the first place, to take risks of whatever nature, in effort to make gobs of money playing a sport.

And I love that....just don't expect everybody else to bail you out when your risks fail.

So apparently there is a planet out there where if a humanoid decides to become a fireman, and in the course of doing his job becomes injured, and not just injured but so badly injured that he can never work again... he is told that he accepted the consequences and risk involved of playing with fire, and that he should have done something else for a living. And on this planet if you work at the zoo, and you work with the lions, and one day a lion mauls you so badly that he bites through your spine and paralyzes you... the zoo tells you that hey, lions are dangerous, you accepted the risk, you should have done something else for a living. And there are oceans on this planet, and countries, and they have humanoids who race boats for their country but if they go overboard and nearly drown and get brain damage they are told hey, the sea is dangerous. The sea can kill you. You knew that. You accepted the consequences and the risk involved.

And that is your planet. It is the planet where people are treated like that.

But good thing we're on this planet, where it doesn't quite work that way. At least in the country you currently find yourself in.

But if you're looking for a book to give you that ol' wistful feel of home, allow me to recommend The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair. You'll particularly like the parts where workers fall into the rendering tanks and are ground up into hamburger along with the rest of the livestock. For me that's gruesome, but as they'd say on your planet... you know those machines are dangerous. You know you can fall in. Those poor bastards accepted the consequences and the risks involved!

 

[Krush]

These guys are suing their Colleges or High Schools, for any Pain or concussions they might have gotten, People want to believe that because it was long ago that the NFL didn't let them know about injuries and concussions, everything was being developed so that these things wouldn't happen but hey this is football where unfortunately players get hurt. Hell I take a Tylenol or something when i get hurt on my job, or go to the hospital if it's that serious so taking pain medication just to get back on the field to their job was acceptable and was prescribed. Why not sue every entity they played, Pop Warner, High School and their respective colleges, see the problem is that they have gotten broke and can't seek treatment for the ailments and the NFL need to pony up the cash so they can get better(not!!!!). I know that the players money want to blame the NFL for everything that's wrong with them but isn't it's about time the players start sharing the blame also?

 

[hoops]

looking for a hand out way i see it

 

[Bumpus]

We all make decisions in life. The choices we make tend to have consequences. Sometimes these consequences are good, sometimes bad. :idk:

 

[dolpns13]

Again, I couldnt care any less than I do right now, and I dont care right now... With that being said I sympathize for what happens to guys like Junior Seau or Kory Stringer... But these guys who take meds to go to work, I couldnt care any less how they feel. If they feel they are being forced, then quit and get another job. These dude know and understand 100% what they are getting into with the NFL the second they become freshman in college and start playing in the NCAA.

I come to work everyday and stare at a computer screen all day long. Sometimes my eyes hurt and it effects my eyes in such a way that soon I will need glasses. I know this but I still stare at the computer everyday to work. Do I have a lawsuit against every employer I have ever had, even though I knowingly stared at the monitor to work... Its the SAME EXACT principle. These dudes are pansies. Cry me a river.

 

[BlueFin]

So apparently there is a planet out there where if a humanoid decides to become a fireman, and in the course of doing his job becomes injured, and not just injured but so badly injured that he can never work again... he is told that he accepted the consequences and risk involved of playing with fire, and that he should have done something else for a living. And on this planet if you work at the zoo, and you work with the lions, and one day a lion mauls you so badly that he bites through your spine and paralyzes you... the zoo tells you that hey, lions are dangerous, you accepted the risk, you should have done something else for a living. And there are oceans on this planet, and countries, and they have humanoids who race boats for their country but if they go overboard and nearly drown and get brain damage they are told hey, the sea is dangerous. The sea can kill you. You knew that. You accepted the consequences and the risk involved.

And that is your planet. It is the planet where people are treated like that.

But good thing we're on this planet, where it doesn't quite work that way. At least in the country you currently find yourself in.

But if you're looking for a book to give you that ol' wistful feel of home, allow me to recommend The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair. You'll particularly like the parts where workers fall into the rendering tanks and are ground up into hamburger along with the rest of the livestock. For me that's gruesome, but as they'd say on your planet... you know those machines are dangerous. You know you can fall in. Those poor bastards accepted the consequences and the risks involved!

Are your really comparing the job of a fireman to an NFL player?

I don't know what planet your on....but those are not the same career risks and a bad example.

Fireman are essential in a society as first responders to emergencies.....football is not essential to anything.

Football is a high risk..... high reward..... entertainment job....people enter into voluntarily knowing the risk in hopes of making millions.

Unless they can prove an organization forced them to stuff pills down thier throat....they have no recourse for decisions they made themselves.

Just look how many players are getting popped for PED's....do you think the team forces them to do that.?...or maybe is it rather the individual making a decision to try to get an advantage in order to make millions?

 

[BlueFin]

Again, I couldnt care any less than I do right now, and I dont care right now... With that being said I sympathize for what happens to guys like Junior Seau or Kory Stringer... But these guys who take meds to go to work, I couldnt care any less how they feel. If they feel they are being forced, then quit and get another job. These dude know and understand 100% what they are getting into with the NFL the second they become freshman in college and start playing in the NCAA.

I come to work everydayand stare at a computer screen all day long. Sometimes my eyes hurt and it effects my eyes in such a way that soon I will need glasses. I know this but I still stare at the computer everyday to work. Do I have a lawsuit against every employer I have ever had, even though I knowingly stared at the monitor to work... Its the SAME EXACT principle. These dudes are pansies. Cry me a river.

Thank you.....and yes....I used to have great vision before I stared into screens all day.....everyday....my vision sucks now.

But the truth is I knew the risk of doing that.

Pussification of America.

And who is to say Junior Seau didn't always have mental issues....that football helped him cope with....that he couldn't deal with once football was gone?

I always found it odd how long he clung to playing in the NFL.....even after his skills had greatly diminished?

I think he always was troubled.