D’Brickashaw Ferguson felt ‘betrayed’ by NFL after seeing ‘Concussion’ movie

New York Jets offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson has shocked many NFL fans with his decision to retire, but perhaps we should have seen it coming.

Back in December, Ferguson wrote a piece for Sports Illustrated providing some insight into how he felt after seeing the movie “Concussion.” He said he was “astounded” by what he learned regarding the NFL and its alleged dismissal of Dr. Bennet Omalu’s research showing a link between chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and playing football.

Ferguson also said he was disturbed to learn how offensive linemen are affected by head injuries and previously associated concussions with “big collisions” from the skill positions. Here’s more:

Perhaps I was a little naïve in my understanding of how the brain is affected by hits to the head. As I understood it, concussions dealt with big collisions, typically occurring at the skill positions, such as a wide receiver or defensive back trying to making a catch and receiving a hit in return from a player he didn’t account for, or a running back meeting a linebacker in the hole and colliding, sending both players to the ground dazed or frozen from the impact. Though I am familiar with examples of offensive lineman who have experienced concussions, it was still my contention that the offensive line was one of the safer positions when it came to being susceptible to head injuries. As I’ve come to find out, it isn’t just the large collisions that can be problematic, but rather the smaller collisions that don’t even amount to concussions but happen far more frequently, that are the real catalysts leading to CTE. Mike Webster was believed to have participated in about 25,000 violent collisions.

After learning all of this, I feel a bit betrayed by the people or committees put in place by the league who did not have my best interests at heart.

Dr. Elliot Pellman was one of the Jets’ team doctors when I was a rookie in 2006, and to learn that he was a part of the group that tried to discredit the scope and impact of brain injuries among players within the league is disheartening.

Various reports have indicated that Ferguson has been considering retirement for weeks and his teammates were aware of it. He appeared in every single game during his 10-year NFL career, and all indications are that the 32-year-old is healthy.

Could seeing “Concussion” have led to Ferguson’s decision? We’re sure it didn’t help, and we doubt these recent comments from the league did, either. If Ferguson is looking to preserve his health, who could blame him?

H/T Michael David Smith
Photo: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports