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Former St. Louis Rams offensive guard Jacob Bell retired from the NFL on Tuesday, May 8. In a phone interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Bell noted that one of the reasons he decided to end his career was the risks involved with playing football.
“One of my biggest concerns when it comes to the game in general is my personal health,” Bell said. “One thing that’s obviously on the minds of a lot of people lately is brain research and all the stuff that’s going on with that. One of the big things that I thought about when I was considering this is how much do I love the game? How much can they pay me to take away my health and my future and being able to be with my family and just have a healthy lifestyle?”
I don’t blame Bell for retiring, and in many ways, it’s the smart thing to do. Football is a violent sport, and if you aren’t sure about risking your body to play, then it’s time to say goodbye. Actually, I applaud Bell for this decision. He’s prioritizing his life and his family instead of the game. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially in light of Junior Seau‘s suicide last week. It’s unknown whether or not Seau’s death had anything to do with trauma suffered in the NFL, but it was one of the things that convinced Bell to retire.
I’ve seen my fair share of Rams’ players getting beat up over the past 12 years. Who can forget John Madden telling NFL audiences about the “Kill Kurt” drills that former quarterback Kurt Warner endured in his days prior to joining the Rams? Later, we saw both Warner and Marc Bulger getting pounded in an offense that often didn’t protect them from opposing pass rushers. I don’t mean this as a criticism of former head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Martz. It’s just that his offenses required his teams to take risks, and those risks often resulted in a quarterback getting flattened.
Warner took a beating throughout his career. Now that he has retired and had time to think about his tenure in the NFL, he’s re-considered whether or not he should allow his sons to play football. In a time when current players are suffering violent concussions each week and some former players like Kyle Turley and Andre Waters are left with debilitating brain injuries, no one should blame Warner for his comments or Bell for choosing to walk away.
I love the NFL. It’s a league full of hard-hitting, fast-paced action that thrills fans every Sunday. I’m not advocating rules that turn the game into flag football. However, I do believe that the NFL needs to continue cracking down on helmet-to-helmet hits, to institute mandatory suspensions for players that suffer concussions (think boxing and mixed martial arts), and to help teach correct tackling techniques from Pop Warner football all the way up through college and into the pros.
If the league institutes changes like the ones I’m suggesting, I think retirements like Bell’s will become less common. A 31-year-old player shouldn’t have to weigh the risks of playing the game he loves.
Derek Ciapala has been a Rams fan since he was a child and the team was in Los Angeles. His favorite Rams moments include Flipper Anderson’s 336-yard receiving night against the Saints in 1989, and their miracle 1999 run to their first Super Bowl victory. You can follow him on Twitter@dciapala.
(Originally published on Yahoo! Sports)
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Former St. Louis Rams offensive guard Jacob Bell retired from the NFL on Tuesday, May 8. In a phone interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Bell noted that one of the reasons he decided to end his career was the risks involved with playing football.
“One of my biggest concerns when it comes to the game in general is my personal health,” Bell said. “One thing that’s obviously on the minds of a lot of people lately is brain research and all the stuff that’s going on with that. One of the big things that I thought about when I was considering this is how much do I love the game? How much can they pay me to take away my health and my future and being able to be with my family and just have a healthy lifestyle?”
I don’t blame Bell for retiring, and in many ways, it’s the smart thing to do. Football is a violent sport, and if you aren’t sure about risking your body to play, then it’s time to say goodbye. Actually, I applaud Bell for this decision. He’s prioritizing his life and his family instead of the game. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially in light of Junior Seau‘s suicide last week. It’s unknown whether or not Seau’s death had anything to do with trauma suffered in the NFL, but it was one of the things that convinced Bell to retire.
I’ve seen my fair share of Rams’ players getting beat up over the past 12 years. Who can forget John Madden telling NFL audiences about the “Kill Kurt” drills that former quarterback Kurt Warner endured in his days prior to joining the Rams? Later, we saw both Warner and Marc Bulger getting pounded in an offense that often didn’t protect them from opposing pass rushers. I don’t mean this as a criticism of former head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Martz. It’s just that his offenses required his teams to take risks, and those risks often resulted in a quarterback getting flattened.
Warner took a beating throughout his career. Now that he has retired and had time to think about his tenure in the NFL, he’s re-considered whether or not he should allow his sons to play football. In a time when current players are suffering violent concussions each week and some former players like Kyle Turley and Andre Waters are left with debilitating brain injuries, no one should blame Warner for his comments or Bell for choosing to walk away.
I love the NFL. It’s a league full of hard-hitting, fast-paced action that thrills fans every Sunday. I’m not advocating rules that turn the game into flag football. However, I do believe that the NFL needs to continue cracking down on helmet-to-helmet hits, to institute mandatory suspensions for players that suffer concussions (think boxing and mixed martial arts), and to help teach correct tackling techniques from Pop Warner football all the way up through college and into the pros.
If the league institutes changes like the ones I’m suggesting, I think retirements like Bell’s will become less common. A 31-year-old player shouldn’t have to weigh the risks of playing the game he loves.
Derek Ciapala has been a Rams fan since he was a child and the team was in Los Angeles. His favorite Rams moments include Flipper Anderson’s 336-yard receiving night against the Saints in 1989, and their miracle 1999 run to their first Super Bowl victory. You can follow him on Twitter@dciapala.
(Originally published on Yahoo! Sports)
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