Huh, What – Head Punches Cause Concussions?

In another example of Roger Goodell being able to point at another sports league and cackle maniacally, the NHL is being exposed as willfully knowing that fighting causes head trauma, and that head trauma can lead players to do extreme things. Also, there’s an implicit understanding through the email chain that CTE is one possible outcome of years spent taking head shots like a “Punch Out” character.

Naturally, because it’s a big goddamned deal up here in Canada, TSN has a pretty good breakdown of what it all means. On Tuesday, over 200 emails between League officials, including former player-turned-League disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan, were made public by a judge presiding over a lawsuit brought by relatives of former & deceased players. It paints the League as knowing something is going on with former players and their medical conditions taken with them into retirement. How much they knew is still being debated.

What makes it difficult is the actions of the NHLPA. They have been active participants in not-eliminating fighting, because it would/will cost the jobs of current players who bring just that skill set into the League. Even during the recent glory days of the 1980s & 90s, high-powers teams like the Oilers, Penguins and Red Wings could always count on a Dave Semenko or Bob Probert to enforce the law when it came to protecting the high priced talent. [Of course, when it came to the playoffs, and fighting naturally decreased during Cup runs, these types were noticeably absent come the third period.] There has always been a need for these “role players”, and the length of the season dictated a certain need for a particular amount of ‘protection’.

The NFL settlement attempt sure seems like an attempt to circumvent something like this from happening to the NFL in court. One has to wonder if the NFLPA will wait until this suit wraps up before making more demands on Roger Goodell and the Shield in general.