Head Games

The NFL has been associated with a number of incidents related to head injuries of its football players.

The most recent involves Former New England Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson. According to Johnson, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick subjected him to hard hits in practice while he was recovering from a concussion -- against the advice of the team's top trainer.And, after sustaining additional concussions over the next three seasons, he now forgets people's names, misses appointments and suffers from depression and an addiction to amphetamines.

Another recent example is that of former NFL player Andre Waters who commited suicide. Brain damage caused on the football field ultimately led to the suicide of former NFL defensive back Andre Waters, according to a forensic pathologist who studied Waters'brain tissue. The pathologist indicated that Waters' brain tissue resembled that of an 85-year-old man and that there were characteristics of early stage Alzheimer's.

The NFL needs to spend some of its wealth on studying head injuries by NFL players.