NFL Commissioner Goodell Says Football Must be Safer

Is it possible to have true safety with 300 pound men running after you?

Roger Goodell thinks so and he wants you to believe it. The league, the shield, the billions in revenue. When you have a sports monolith like the NFL, the only thing that can bring it down is a judge. That's why there's this big push by the commissioner for NFL player safety. He addressed the issue at a University of North Carolina  Q&A on Wednesday. 

"We know that in order to secure the future, we can and must do more to make the game safer, and in the process, we will make other sports safer as well," Goodell said. 

This push for NFL player safety could have avoided a lot of fear and public scrutiny. Even the President has commented that, if he had a son, he would be reluctant, if not forbid him altogether, from playing sport. 

One thing pushing the league towards safety is the ongoing legacy of concussions on both current and past players. Former NFL players have filed lawsuits against the NFL charging neglect in dealing with the issue sooner. According to the Associated Press, in 2011, 31 of 44 NFL players sought for the league to include independent neurologistics at NFL games. 

While Goodell didn't address the lawsuit during the lecture, he reiterated his commitment to making the game safer by cutting down on helmet-to-helmet contact, initiating rule changes and using science as a weapon in the fight.

"Players and coaches have adjusted. They always do, but there is more work ahead," Goodell said. "We will find other ways to take the head out of the game. The helmet is for protection. It should not be used as a weapon." General Electric recently joined the NFL to create ways to better lessening head concussions.