Troy Aikman explains why he hasn’t joined the NFL players’ concussion lawsuit

One of the biggest problems the NFL as a league faces is the lawsuits from former players over concussions. One of the players most notorious for receiving concussions was former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and Hall of Famer Troy Aikman.

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He played through or shortly after receiving concussions numerous times and some people attribute it to the ending of his career though Aikman maintain’s it was more about his back.

As many notable names join the concussion lawsuit against the league, Aikman, who works as a broadcaster covering NFL games, has not. In an interview on ESPN radio in Dallas, Aikman tried to explain why he wasn’t apart of the lawsuits.

“I think the players actually have a pretty good position. Their stance, for the most part, is that players know what the risks are and that’s true. But the lawsuit isn’t that no one knew there were health risks involved but that the league was aware of long-term consequences from head injury,” Aikman said, as transcribed by the Dallas Morning News. “I didn’t get involved in that because I just felt the lawsuit essentially implies that the doctors knew something and they didn’t tell you. I never felt, at any time, while I was playing for the Cowboys that the doctors didn’t have my best interests in mind. I didn’t feel that I went out on the field before I should have. I thought they were very careful with me and cautious. I never felt I was being exposed to any long-term injury because of negligence on the doctor’s and the training staff’s part. For that reason, and that reason alone, is why I haven’t joined that lawsuit.”

Aikman is taking notice of what is going on and is getting himself checked to take the necessary precautions.

“I initially was monitoring myself. I later went back on my own and said I’d like to be tested and kind of figure out where I’m at and if there’s any steps I can take to protect myself, or, whatever might be able to be done to ensure brain health,” Aikman said. “I went through the testing, it was about three to four hours. It was very extensive. I wasn’t as lucky as Jerry – they didn’t tell me I had a 40-year-old brain – but they told me I was doing just fine. The head injuries that I had, whatever the number was, if it was seven or eight concussions, two were severe. One was my rookie year and one was in the NFC Championship game in ’93. I felt the others were relatively minor.”