Richard Sherman bluntly assessed the NFL’s level of concern for player injuries in a video on Thursday.
Speaking for the Players’ Tribune, Sherman said that players do accept the risks of football, but players simply are not protected by the NFL.
“You’re going to get arthritis in your knees, you’re going to probably have some stress in your back, your ankles are going to crack and pop all the time, and it’s just things that come with the territory, decisions and sacrifices that you knowingly make coming into this game,” Sherman said. “But the NFL really [couldn’t] care less.
“We really don’t have reason to trust the NFL and I don’t think they mind either way.”
Sherman believes the NFL has incentive to keep players like Cam Newton who may be injured on the field for financial purposes, “because it would affect the ratings, because it would affect the game.”
It’s not the first time Sherman has been critical of NFL executives, and he’s not afraid to tell it like it is. You have to wonder how many other players feel the same way.
