Nick Buoniconti says NFL ‘waiting for us to die’
Pro football Hall of Famer and two-time champion Nick Buoniconti struggles everyday of his life. Throughout his pain, he is raging against the NFL.
Buoniconti is one of the great linebackers in league history. After breaking in with the American Football League’s Boston Patriots in 1962, the Massachusetts native was dealt to the Miami Dolphins in 1969, where he played until retirement in 1976.
The 15 years of NFL action has left the legend with ample health problems, including memory loss, severe mobility decrease and other maladies, as outlined by The MMQB in an illuminating piece.
In the story, Buoniconti reveals his turmoil. It’s impossible for him to put on his shirts in the morning. He can’t relieve himself without help from his wife, Lynn. At times, he doesn’t know what is going on around him.
He is not alone. There are the well-known cases of Dave Duerson and Junior Seau, a pair of NFL defensive greats who committed suicide. Both were later found to have CTE, a brain disease that many in the medical field believe is caused by repeated blows to the head. Buoniconti, 76, watched the NFL settle in court to pay $1 billion toward former players struggling with brain injuries. In the six years since the settlement, not a dime has been paid out.
"“We’re the players who built the game, but have been forgotten… The settlement is a joke. They are waiting for us to die.”"
Buoniconti has been given much by football, but also seen so much more taken away. His son, Marc, was paralyzed was playing the sport. Despite his experiences with the game, Marc Buoniconti says it wasn’t his tragedy that would keep him from recommending the sport to the youth, but rather his father’s decline.
"“If someone asked if their child should play organized contact football, I could not in good conscience recommend it… I don’t think it’s safe. It’s pretty evident that something significant is happening to the brain as far as disrupted development over time. I cannot recommend football for, really, anybody. I was 50-50 on this already but, then, watching my dad—that sealed it for me.”"
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Despite it all, Buoniconti doesn’t come out and say he regrets his life’s work. The living legend made a terrific life for himself and his family, but the happiness created has been marred by turmoil and grief. Ultimately, saying whether or not the experiences and rewards were worth it remains an impossible question to answer.
"“I didn’t have any idea the price would be this debilitating… Had I known, would I have played? I had no alternative; there was no other way for me to get a college education. Football kept rewarding me—I can’t deny that. But I’m paying the price… Everybody pays the piper.”"