In the NFL Wild Card playoff game between the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton received a vicious hit to the head that disoriented him for several minutes. The NFL’s concussion protocol was handled poorly by the Carolina Panthers.
After the intense contact, Newton was seen collapsing to the ground when he attempted to walk off the field. According to NFL safety guidelines, the Carolina Panthers were required to bring him into the locker room for evaluation. Instead, they performed an on-field evaluation and put him back in the game quick enough to brew suspicion.
In recent years, football has been exposed for its violent nature. In a 2017 study of deceased American football players by the Journal of the American Medical Association, chronic traumatic encephalopathy was diagnosed in 99 percent of former NFL players. Following the suicides of Junior Seau and Aaron Hernandez, the link between brain damage and playing football has been an emotional topic.
Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter was seen in emotional distress on his show “First Things First” when discussing the new research. Carter explained how his cognitive dissonance with the issue is affecting his conscious. Football served as an opportunity for him to grow despite the limited opportunities of his environment. He recalled his financial and personal success, his interpersonal relationships with coaches and job opportunities after football.
Carter is also sentimental about sharing football with his son, who plays Canadian football. Carter went on to share his fears. Carter grimaces when his son is hit and fears for his and his son’s health later in life. The effects of CTE are serious and Carter, like many other former players, fears the day he might suffer from a mental disease caused by previous football injuries.
Newton told reporters his visor had simply gotten pressed into his eye causing discomfort. This does not change the fact that Newton did fall to the ground and NFL rules mandate he be taken to the locker room. Perhaps Newton has an incentive to protect the organization because he desires to win a Super Bowl and the NFL pays him. 
Newton’s unethical concussion treatment sheds light on a bigger problem at hand. Moments after the injury, social justice warriors ran to social media to argue about the justness of his treatment. Outrage sparked while many people claimed the NFL would wait until this incident died down and then do nothing about it. This is exactly what the NFL has done.
The NFL has a history of hiding negative findings. Brain damage of players has been a pivotal issue the NFL wants to hide. It is very hard to believe the NFL cares about its players. The NFL would rather preserve market worth by shielding itself from any public resistance. Meanwhile, many players who are content with their lives today are not ready for the surprising consequences later in life.
We often hear football being compared to flag football when the NFL attempts to make the game safer for players. This is part of a culture we must change if we are truly fans of the athletes who play on the gridiron once a week. The rules of football have changed to make it safer, but it hasn’t worked. The effects are just as prevalent and devastating.
We must ask ourselves if it is right to ruin the lives of young men because their actions are entertaining to us and because the organization is institutionalized in the country we live in. Fans will often argue players are aware of what they are signing for. If youth is wasted on the youth, undoubtedly these young men would not make the decision to receive millions of dollars over a healthy and ataraxic life. Sometimes it seems as if they have no choice.
Newton has been a polarizing figure in sports for a long time. He is often criticized for his off-field antics. He is loved because of his idiosyncrasies like using absurd fonts in his social media posts, dressing flamboyantly and using interesting slang. Many people hate him, many people love him. Regardless, he is human. Newton, and all the athletes in the NFL, deserve better than the mental abuse the NFL puts them through. As youth football participation continues to decline, football’s greatest organization needs to figure out better options for players. Maybe flag football is a viable alternative.
Soheil Saneei is a 19-year-old biological engineering freshman from Metairie, Louisiana.