Goodell: Saving Face in the Wrong Place

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Roger Goodell. You've really done a number on those that feel it's ok to be an NFL player and get arrested. You've shown you care about the livelihood of this league and the players involved, and I certainly applaud your hard line on Tank Johnson, Chris Henry, and Pacman Jones. You're looking out for the best interest of everyone. Now, if you could just do something about those cripples.

Certainly, I'm not suggesting that Goodell hand out heavy fines and severe punishment to those who are disabled or who have trouble walking. I'm simply wondering why Goodell hasn't made it a point to take a look into the situation of former NFL players who have, among other things, been crippled, broke, and homeless as a result of the way the NFL has poorly handled the retirement of these players.

When the great players hang up the cleats we often see them back on local TV as an analyst or, if they're lucky enough, on ESPN or Fox to do national coverage. Some of them have, like Steve Young, have good degrees to give them a cushion after their playing days are over. But what if post-concussion syndrome prevents them from getting a good job and lets face it; there are very few analyst jobs to go around and some guys are not cut out for that kind of work. And it must be tough going to interviews when it takes hours just to get to walking right, and that's if you're lucky enough not to have a cane.

In a recent interview with Rick Telander of The Chicago Sun-Times, Brian DeMarco recounts his struggles. "I've been homeless three times in the last four years. We lived in a storage unit for four months, in Austin. We had a space heater, one of those old ones from the '50s, the kind that glows bright red. My wife and two kids."