Chargers News: Seau’s Family Not Allowed to Speak at HOF Induction
To say the reputation of the National Football League has been tarnished recently is an absolute understatement. The league has handled situations horribly in the past and right when you think the league couldn’t get any worse, they go and do this. 2015 Hall-Of-Fame inductee Junior Seau will be included in the festivities regarding enshrinement in the prestigious club, but his family will not be allowed to speak on his behalf. That has been a rule adopted by the league, but under this situation, one would figure they would make an exception.
Why would his family not be allowed to honor him by saying a few words? That is absolutely ridiculous. Is the NFL so screwed up that they cannot see a horrible public relations nightmare right in front of their face? Junior Seau was beloved by many fans. Not only in the cities of San Diego, Miami and Boston where he played. His loss was horrible for the NFL and the league should honor the man instead of dishonoring him.
His passing was horrible for Chargers fans and the supporters of the team can only imagine what the loss means to his direct family. Seau had a problem. The brutal nature of playing the game he loved took something from him. The constant hits to the head are something that the NFL is trying to sweep under the table. The league has implemented concussion protocols to be used by all the teams. The protocols are helpful, but the long-term effects of the hits are proving to be devastating to players.
For anyone who has had a concussion, you know how painful it is and how disoriented you get. The human brain is a mystery to a lot of doctors and we are barely now beginning to understand the consequences of frequent concussions. Obviously the constant damage to a person’s brain can easily cloud their judgement. The damage that Junior Seau suffered was irreversible and sadly there are thousands upon thousands of players that battle brain issues on a daily basis.
The NFL is showing that all they care about is the all mighty dollar. It’s quite obvious that the NFL is upset with the Seau family because they insist answers for Junior Seau’s death. Its obvious his career in the NFL led to his suicide and the NFL refuses to acknowledge that fact. Nobody blames them directly. Seau played the game roughly and without fear. The fact the league refuses to grow from their mistakes and even admit they made any shows how classless they really are.
Nobody is perfect. Huge billion dollar industries like the NFL make mistakes. Not exactly breaking news. However the fact that the NFL continues to make horrible decisions on a regular basis is mind-boggling. The popularity of the league has never been greater, but with that popularity comes a sense of responsibility to do what is right.
Do the correct thing NFL and let his family speak at what would have been Seau’s greatest accomplishment. Who cares if the family mentions his concussion issues and points a finger at you. Everybody in the community is aware of the situation. Pretending like it didn’t or isn’t happening is a complete disrespect to the family and to every fan of the NFL. Ultimately you would think the NFL will do what is right. The backlash from the announcement today was big, once the event gets closer the backlash will surely change to outrage if an exception is not made for Seau’s family. One would hope that is the case.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.