Hall of Fame RB Thurman Thomas is finally speaking about his health concerns publicly, and unfortunately, it’s not pretty.
Thomas was this year’s keynote speaker at the annual DSBN (district school board of Niagara) International Concussion Summit, and went into rare detail about his struggles stemming from a stellar, 13-year NFL career.
“Back when I played, you might have got a headache, or you didn’t quite know where you were, but you took a couple Tylenol, a couple Advil, (and) you got right back out there because you just didn’t know.”
Thomas went on to get even more personal, diving into how his troubles were weighing on his
“Still to this day, I can’t control my mood swings. On so many days, I have to apologize to my family for them. I thank God that I have a family that understands the things that I’ve been through over my 13-year (professional) career, and even after my 14 or 15 years that I’ve been retired. They all understand that with my mood swings, sometimes I just can’t help it.”
Thurman Thomas amassed more then 12,000 yards in the NFL. That doesn’t happen without some serious punishment being inflicted on the body. Some would say professional football players know what they’re signing up for; however, I’d say that’s false. While players surely know the human body isn’t meant to be smashed into another at max speeds, experts & doctors are just beginning to scratch the surface of head injuries and when enough really is too much.
As time goes on, more will be known about the long term effects of these head injuries, but for now, one simple question looms: With the ungodly amount of money being generated and re-generated in the NFL these days, why are so many former players in silent suffering? It seems to me the NFL should take some of it’s unequivocal power and bestow some amongst the ones who need it most. The players who’ve build the shield using their blood, sweat, tears, and heads.
