Protection of Nfl Players

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Protection of NFL Players Years ago no one gave a thought to the physical contact endured by football players. Practice after practice, game after game football players suffer through countless hard tackles, the effects of which, have never been considered. Recently, however, that has started to change. The NFL has recently implemented new rules to try and protect football players from the damaging concussions sustained as a result of hard hits by other players. These recent changes have sparked a debate about whether or not these rules go too far. First of all, NFL players must be protected. Just like any other job, safety measures must be implemented to protect players from any hazards associated with their job. Football players are "hired" and paid a salary to perform a set of duties. Given the fact that, for them, the game of football is a job, they should have every expectation that their employer will protect them. Secondly, the effects of the physical contact endured by players usually are not seen until years later. Football players may think that they are fine because they get up and walk away after each hit but it is well known now that football players do suffer major physical effects. These players are suffering some degree of damage with probably every hard contact. In fact, as stated by Epstein, "brain trauma in football may start much earlier, and much less conspicuously, with hits that never raise an eyebrow, much less a penalty flag". Lastly, players must be held accountable for their actions. Everyone who has ever watched a professional football game has seen one player maliciously hit another player harder than is necessary to stop the play. If a football player blatantly hits a player with the intent to cause injury that player needs to be dealt with. Implementing guidelines to protect the safety of all involved does

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