[Syd Thrift]

I agree with removing shoulder pads. They remove a lot of the chances of breaking your shoulder on a big hit but it's clear that the moral hazard is too high. Helmets, though, I just don't know. Before plastic helmets were instituted death on the field was not an uncommon occurrence. In 1909 33 players died of injuries suffered in college or high school games (this was before the NFL and the pros were tiny). The face mask is another necessary evil because without it guys would tackle to the face (which is exactly what a lot of players did in the 40s and 50s).

All this means that I personally do not see an easy resolution and I think that means the sport is in danger of becoming like boxing, which is a notoriously poor man's sport. In particular I simply don't see how you keep offensive linemen from using their heads in blocking (and the NFL has done little to nothing to combat this, going so far as to make exceptions to the crown rule when you're inside the tackles). Sadly a huge portion of NFL cte victims are offensive linemen like Mike Webster.