National Football League (NFL) Concussion lawsuit

 

ANSWER

The legal and ethical issues that are involved the National Football League (NFL) Concussion lawsuit.

The NFL is a prominent and famous football league in America that is renowned for its notorious fans and other unethically related issues. Physical damages which are related to this game are numerous and increasing, the standardization of game rules and procedures is in a bid to reduce these unethical issues. A good number of players in the NFL for examples have been reported to use marijuana both in the pitch and off the pitch. The effect marijuana has on nursing temporary wounds is of a healing nature and that’s why it has been popular among the NFL players. This is an unethical issue in the game because certain standardized pain reduction medicines are to be put in place to ensure that players get treated immediately and well if by any chance they suffer injuries within the game. As an ethical measure against marijuana for example, is that the NFL management should increase financial allocations to medical research and valuate the effects marijuana has on the pain in relation to nursing the game injuries.

The NFL management should revise its rules of suspending or punishing players after drug testing and finding them positive. In essence, they should still incorporate the players in the team, monitor the performance and make sure that each player in the team is equally motivated to handle all the required duties. The NFL’s relationship with its players should be continuously being re-examined as it may be a downfall to the legal and ethical issues. The NFL for example conducts serious scrutiny on the public and the player; this makes it uncomfortable for the players to exercise their freedom. A number of players have been reportedly pronounced dead after suicide through depression and other related factors that exist due to the poor relationship between NFL and its layers (Joseph M, 2010). The continued deterioration of the health of players in relation to the continued progress of the game during a player’s lifetime was alarming. A number of health issues are reported by players day by day and an unclear response erupts from the NFL board hence sparking discussions on how to regularize the certain erupting issues. Other than that, marijuana dependent players are also reportedly involved in using other drugs that has a poor outcome on their health and overall playing condition.

The legal and ethical issued involved in the lawsuit was generally prohibiting players with traces of certain drugs in their blood from playing the games. Most of these punished players were however said to depend on the drugs judging on the severity of injuries that they realized from the game/ throughout their gaming sessions. In a bid to control depression, a number of players are reportedly overly into drug usage in a bid to control their emotional situation and related personal layer related stuff. NFL lawsuit by the players must therefore show that the NFL has a role to play other than mere negligence and ignorance on the matter of suspending players who have tested positive for extreme drug usage. The players must show that NFL owed to perform specific duties to the players and was acting on a breach of terms and conditions in a bid to make the lawsuit favorable on their side.

 

 

The concussion lawsuit is a battle between the NFL and its players on neglect of duties and specific performance, although NFL on its side argues that its practices are ethically channeled to ensure that every player was in good condition on the pitch without the threat of any physical damage like brain damage as a result of drug usage (Robert Eme et al, 2013). The rise in cases of concussion by the players has been increasing among the NFL players hence calling for the proper treatment of players going through depression in a bid to eliminate the prior chances of reported deaths. The whole problem erupted in the fact that NFL has been reportedly accused of ignoring its retired players in concern to the continued challenges they have been experiencing as a result of the injuries sustained throughout their career, concussions being one of them. The position of NFL here is justified and questionable in the sense that they have a role to play in ensuring equal satisfaction of their retired players and minimal to no cases reported in relation to the current lifestyle positions of their retired players (Alexander N, 2002). The legal and ethical issues concerned with this matter is of acute importance as it will generally filter the position of both the NFL and the players in relation to the matter at hand.

The lawsuit argues that it is the duty of the NFL to provide cover to retired players in their health related complications, as that is the best solution to minimize continued losses and downfalls experienced by the retired players. It is therefore ethically and legally correct to conclude that the NFL is responsible for the affairs of the retired players and should play their role purposefully in a bid to achieve a positive relationship with its players, a move that will benefit both parties.

References

1. Joseph M. Hanna & Daniel Kain, NFL’s Shaky Concussion Policy Exposes the League to Potential Liability Headaches, 28 ENT. & SPORTS LAW. 9, 9 (2010).
2. Robert Eme et al., Persistent Cognitive Impairment in a Multiply Concussed Female Athlete: Is It Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy? A Case Study, 2 J. COUNSELING & PROF. PSYCHOL. 43, 44 (2013).
3. Alexander N, Legal and Ethical Aspects of Sports-Related Concussions: The Merril Hoge Story, 12 SETON HALL J. SPORT L. 17, 18–19 n.4 (2002) (“Concussion-related injuries affect all levels of athletes, from grade school to college to professional.”).