le'ron mcclain is struggling with head injury issues - si article

92tide · Aug 27, 2019

i can't post more of the article or his tweets due to language. they were really hard to read, he seems to be suffering a lot.

Former Pro Bowl FB Le'Ron McClain Asks NFL for Help With Head: 'My Brain is [---] Tired'

Former Pro Bowl fullback Le'Ron McClain took to Twitter on Saturday to plead for help dealing with head and brain troubles he said have resulted from playing football.

McClain, who played for the Ravens, Chargers and Chiefs during his seven-year NFL career, said he needed to "get my head checked" in a series of emotional and expletive-filled tweets.

RollTide_HTTR · Aug 27, 2019

I've been following this and his tweets. It's really sad and I seriously hope someone helps the guy out because he very clearly needs it and is asking.

This is my biggest issue with watching football and probably what will end up killing it for me. Hard to love a sport that does this to people...

TideEngineer08 · Aug 27, 2019

I hope to God someone reaches him and helps him get what he needs to survive. 34 years old.

Yes this is why my kids won't play, if I can help it. I do love the game. I love watching it. But I'm just not sure about its future if we can't figure out a way to make it safer.

DzynKingRTR · Aug 27, 2019

I hope he gets some help before something truly awful happens.

RTR91 · Aug 27, 2019

His tweets showed Tuscaloosa as his location. Surely, someone from UA reached out to him and got him help.

CrimsonForce · Aug 27, 2019

This is why in 2020 the players need to strike to get better after care treatment and guaranteed contracts. Not putting this on McClain but generally the players advocate for more money in the here and now and don't do enough negotiation for health insurance and support for life after football. If they hold out long enough during the next round of CBA negotiations future players won't have to deal with the a lot of these issues..

RollTide_HTTR · Aug 27, 2019

RTR91 said:
His tweets showed Tuscaloosa as his location. Surely, someone from UA reached out to him and got him help.

I hope so.

BamaInCummingGA · Aug 27, 2019

I get what some of y'all are saying and head injuries are not to be taken lightly, but how many millions do these players make? Can they not afford healthcare? If not, why not?
I truly hope he gets help because he needs it but someone making the kind of money a lot of these guys make really have no excuse to not have good health care of their own. Plus, as someone else already stated, why don't the union reps think about this when negotiating these gazillion dollar deals for more money for the players? Why don't the players demand more from the union reps?

Con · Aug 27, 2019

BamaInCummingGA said:
I get what some of y'all are saying and head injuries are not to be taken lightly, but how many millions do these players make? Can they not afford healthcare? If not, why not?
I truly hope he gets help because he needs it but someone making the kind of money a lot of these guys make really have no excuse to not have good health care of their own. Plus, as someone else already stated, why don't the union reps think about this when negotiating these gazillion dollar deals for more money for the players? Why don't the players demand more from the union reps?

I don't think any amount of money they get paid will give them what they truly need. I am no doctor but once the brain gets damaged as much as some of them have been the outlook seems just horrible. The only help they can get is maybe painkillers.

BamaInCummingGA · Aug 27, 2019

I'm no doctor, either, but with as much money as NFL players currently make you would think they would have a medical insurance plan.
Plus, if the union really cared they would get that pushed thru as to having some sort of really good group health plan for the players instead of it always seeming to be negotiation an money and such.
Again, I hope he gets what help he needs because it is truly a sad situation when the brain is affected like that but some of these guys need to think long term when they start earning that kind of money and invest in some protection for themselves.

Crimson1967 · Aug 27, 2019

Anyone criticizing Andrew Luck for retiring needs to talk to McClain.

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The Ols · Aug 27, 2019

All due respect, totally different situations...

Crimson1967 said:
Anyone criticizing Andrew Luck for retiring needs to talk to McClain.

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rolltide_21 · Aug 27, 2019

I saw these tweets this weekend on either SB Nation or SDS. I remember watching him on the Friday Night Blitz when he was at County High. I thought, "Im glad I didnt have to play him" (I'm just a year or two older than him) He was a beast, but he played a brutal position. He's one of the last true fullbacks in the NFL. Many of these guys have had a lot problems due to the nature of the position. I hope he gets help soon.

beatthemtigers · Aug 27, 2019

The Ols said:
All due respect, totally different situations...

How? Im curious because i think they are similar

B1GTide · Aug 27, 2019

beatthemtigers said:
How? Im curious because i think they are similar

I agree that they are similar in that both players suffered injuries throughout their careers. Luck walked away and McClain did not. But why?

Luck's real issue is that his body, for whatever reason, just does not heal like other people. It takes him a lot longer, and a lot more work, to get back on the field after an injury than most athletes. He eventually grew tired (mentally and physically) of constantly being in some state of injury recovery - see here: pain. He walked away to stop the pain.

McClain suffered brain injuries. Not much physical pain, but severe injuries none the less. He had no idea how badly he was damaged. There really are no warning signs. You are fine, until you are not, and that is usually well after you stop playing for other reasons.

It would have been much better if players like McClain suffered the pain of rehab from a concussion like they do from other major injuries. Most would walk away much sooner, and they would take longer breaks to recover.

TIDE-HSV · Aug 27, 2019

BamaInCummingGA said:
I get what some of y'all are saying and head injuries are not to be taken lightly, but how many millions do these players make? Can they not afford healthcare? If not, why not?
I truly hope he gets help because he needs it but someone making the kind of money a lot of these guys make really have no excuse to not have good health care of their own. Plus, as someone else already stated, why don't the union reps think about this when negotiating these gazillion dollar deals for more money for the players? Why don't the players demand more from the union reps?

You might read this article...

SI

bamacon · Aug 27, 2019

I know LM and these tweets and his desperation are NOT in his character at all. He’s always been a laughing, smiling, and fun loving guy. Really worried about him. I know some people who have known him for years are reaching out to him to help.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Chukker Veteran · Aug 28, 2019

RollTide_HTTR said:
I've been following this and his tweets. It's really sad and I seriously hope someone helps the guy out because he very clearly needs it and is asking.

This is my biggest issue with watching football and probably what will end up killing it for me. Hard to love a sport that does this to people...

We dress up our modern-day gladiators with pads and helmets but when you boil it down we continue to be spectators entertained by watching players doing things that can seriously impact their lives in a very negative way.

Over the years, there have been lots of debates here about a player's pro career. Many have argued that a player who signs a big bonus contract but then doesn't get much playing time or is out of football in just a few short years...that that player is a bust.

I've long thought that the player who signs a big contract, then gets out of the game fairly soon, with his health relatively intact...that player is a winner in life even if his college fans are disappointed he won't be setting records and ruining his health with a long pro career.

Take the money and run while you still can.

BamaInCummingGA · Aug 28, 2019

TIDE-HSV said:
You might read this article...

SI

I read it and as far as a lot of the older players go I truly get it. But there is enough information out there from older players and news stories and they're making A LOT more money now than in the past. Head injuries and such are truly an issue but at some point these guys making all this money need to learn to heed the warnings/advice of others and if they get good advice and don't take it or if they choose to not seek out good advice (and I'm not talking specifically about LM because I don't know him and don't know what advice he got or if he even sought any) then at some point it kind of has to fall back on them. It's still a bad situation no matter what but personal responsibility has to count for something.

Titans&Tide · Aug 28, 2019

I know it's too late for Le'Ron, but given the tests that have been done on helmets with regard to preventing concussions, doesn't it seem like a no-brainer for these guys to use the Vicis Zero1 helmet? Shouldn't they become the de facto standard, if not mandated standard?

le'ron mcclain is struggling with head injury issues - si article

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