[Antonin]

Here in Cleveland the topic of concussions and their long-term effects has been prominently in the news for several years. Former Browns QB Bernie Kosar, one of our heroes from the 1980s, has been very open about his struggles with memory loss and other neurological issues. Kosar is a color analyst for Browns TV broadcasts and is frequently interviewed on the radio, and his problems have become impossible to ignore. He slurs his words so much he sounds like a 'punch drunk' boxer. He rambles a lot. Often, what he is talking about when he reaches the end of a sentence has no relation to what he was talking about at the beginning, and then the play-by-play guy jumps in to bring some sense to the discussion.

It's easy to say that the young men who get paid a lot of money to play football know what they are getting into and do not need to be protected from themselves. Perhaps. But really, the perspective of a man in his 20s is radically different from the one he will have later in life. A man in his late 50s, with a better understanding of consequences, is certain to regret some behaviors he had while in his 20s. He would not make the same choices he did when he was young, and doubtless he wishes he could go back and do some things differently.

A friend of mine who had a career in the military says there's a reason armies prefer young soldiers: "You can tell an 18 year old, 'Son, I want you to charge up that hill and take that machine gun!' And the 18 year old will say, 'Yes sir!' But say the same thing to a 40 year old, and he's going to say, 'Hmmm. Wait a minute. That's not such a good idea.'" In other words, young men will take foolish risks that an older man would never consider.

I'm not quite ready to say society needs to bring football to an end to protect players from themselves. But my enjoyment of the game has changed from the 60s and 70s. I used to love the bruising plays and big hits. Guys like Jim Brown, Dick Butkus, Alan Page and Larry Csonka were my heroes. Now, I think more about what players will experience in later life, and I feel more lukewarm about the game itself. If it went away, I wouldn't miss it. Sometimes I think football is a form of entertainment that has run its course. I question whether it is right for me to enjoy such a game [and a sport like boxing]. I don't have any children, but if I did I would not let them play football.