Roger Goodell is still pushing junk ‘science’ on anyone willing to listen
The commissioner of the NFL just can’t help himself. Roger Goodell was captured on video yet again twisting the facts about the long-term health of players in the league.
Roger Goodell knows his talking points about player health and safety, as it’s his job to sell the NFL’s product at every opportunity.
Part of his arsenal is junk “science,” which he was recently captured on video peddling.
In this clip, Goodell touts research which shows that the average NFL player lives five years longer than the average American.
Roger Goodell disputed the study that shows 110 of 111 former NFL players have CTE, but instead believes NFL players are getting healthier. pic.twitter.com/HjbjgmIkRg
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) July 31, 2017
Goodell wants fans to be impressed that NFL players, who are physical specimens of a world-class nature, tend to live longer than the average American who spends the majority of her/his life on the couch downing McDonald’s and Hostess pies.
Conveniently, Goodell makes no mention of the quality of life during those five extra years, merely the fact that the players are alive. It’s possible that Goodell really believes that for former players like Brian Price, who now can’t recall things like the fact that he ran through a glass door at an auto parts store, the chance to live an extra five years is well worth the toll on their bodies and minds, even if they probably won’t remember those extra five years.
Another more likely explanation for Goodell’s constant avoidance of topics that could paint football in a bad light is the fact that he’s employed by the owners of the NFL’s teams. Just maybe, he is steering the conversation to his rhetoric because his livelihood depends on it. Perhaps instead of expecting Goodell to provide an honest assessment of the long-term health of NFL players, it’s time to realize that is something the media and fans will never get from Goodell.
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Giving Goodell a platform to talk on player health and safety issues is like asking a used car salesman which of the dealerships in a city is the best. It’s foolish to expect an objective and honest answer.