During his 14-year tenure in the NFL that spanned from 1962 through 1976, Hall of Famer and former NFL linebacker Nick Buoniconti claims he took hundreds of thousands of hits to the head and has suffered through many neurological, health-related issues.
For all of the post-years of pain and suffering, Buoniconti would like the NFL to take care of him and the thousands of other NFL players “who made the league what it is today” while they sustained injuries detrimental to their health, per Christian Red of The New York Daily News.
In an attempt to spotlight the serious nature of concussion ramifications, the 75-year old Buoniconti plans to put NFL Commission Roger Goodell on blast at a Saturday “Destination Fashion” event scheduled to take place in Miami. Buoniconti is holding fundraisers for The Buoniconti Fund and The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the event.
Buoniconti created fund bearing his name in honor of his son Marc, who in 1985 was paralyzed from the neck down after a college football accident, according to Red. The main point that Buoniconti is making crystal clear is that the NFL should do something to compensate former players while they are still living.
He stated this in reference to the concussion settlement that a Federal court judge approved in 2014, which allows for compensation only after CTE is confirmed, which can only happen once someone is no longer alive.
“The settlement in my mind is tantamount to basically not allowing anybody who’s alive to recover anything.”
“When you think about it, clinically you can’t diagnose CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) until you’re dead, until you have an autopsy. This thing about not having any limit on the award — well, if you can’t collect the award, what good is it?”
Buoniconti is clearly frustrated with the health issues he has experienced based on neurological testing he has had conducted.
“Are you telling me I don’t have issues? Of course I have issues. I have cognitive issues. I have falling issues. I have balance issues. I do have, do have, do have…If I sound like I’m upset, it’s because I am.”
Aside from the neglectful way that Buoniconti feels the league has turned a blind eye to the ramifications of concussions, he and his son Marc hope that there will be better advances in store for treating spinal cord and brain trauma, per the report.
The details regarding the NFL concussion settlement approved by the Federal court in 2014 can be read in detail here in an article compiled by NFL.com.
Over 4,500 former players filed suit, with some accusing the league of fraud when it came to properly handling concussions.