The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Roy Talks NFL Player Safety with Nate Burleson | Beyond the Scenes
Episode Date: September 10, 2023Buffalo Bills safety, Damar Hamlin, went into cardiac arrest during a game. This injury sparked conversations about the safety of football and the ways the NFL protects their players’ well being. Ho...st Roy Wood Jr. sits down with CBS Mornings co-host, Nate Burleson, to discuss their feelings towards the game, the importance of protecting players’ mental health, and the fight for lifetime insurance in the NFL.  Original air date: January 17, 2023See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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John Stewart here. Unbelievably exciting news. My new podcast the weekly show.
We're going to be talking about the election. Economics. Ingredient to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to bread to to to to to to to to to to to to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. the th. the the th. the the th. th. th. the the th. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the the the. thea. thea. thea. thea. thi. thi. thi. thi. the going to be talking about the election, economics,
ingredient to bread ratio, on sandwiches.
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This is what you got to think of this show is.
All right, like, the Daily Show is like having your mama in your life and this podcast
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okay I don't know if that's the worst analogy I've ever made to start this
podcast you may have saw or heard recently in the news that buffalo bill
safety demar hamlin went into cardiac arrest during a Monday night football
game earlier this month he's made great tries towards recovery.
He's been released from the hospital.
He's back in Buffalo at this time.
But the incident still sparked conversations on the issue of the safety of players in the NFL.
To help us take a deeper dive into NFL safety, we have with us again.
CBS Mornings.
Nate, how you doing brother man? I'm good, I'm good, and that analogy makes perfect sense. You know, the dad comes around
and he walks up to his child and say, come here, let me, let me bring it to the other room.
I need to tell you about life. And he places his hand on our shoulder and then he continues to
keep it all the way real and that's what we do on this podcast. Yeah, and you see them once a week just like this podcast.
Listen, Nate, I feel like you're a friend of the pod so we can kind of kick back a little
bit.
Thank you for making time with this again on a very important issue.
First and foremost, let's just talk about DeMar Hamlin first.
Talk to me about your feelings watching this injury play out because I was I I I I I in New York and I just saw Monday night football and then I saw
CPR creeping up my Twitter trends and I saw football and Cpia on like what the hell is it what CPR dan should oh? Oh no
So as that played out live on television the debate was of course should they continue to game should they stop the game and it's been criticism about how the NFL? the NFL? Oh, no, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, right. Oh, right. Oh, right. Oh, right. So, right. So, right. So, right. So, right. So, right. So, right. So, right. So, right. So, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, th, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th. So, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, I I th, I th. So, I th. So, th. So, th. So, thi. So, th. So, thi. So, th. So, the the the the thi. So, I th. So, I th. So, I television, the debate was of course, should they continue to game, should they stop the game?
It's been criticism about how the NFL responded.
How do you, as a former player, feel the league handled this situation?
Well, first let me talk about what happened when I saw the injury, we'll call it.
And that's probably a light way to describe it.
It was jarring, shock and awe. But, and th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, and, and, and, thi, thi, thi, the they, and, they, and, and, and, and, they, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, thi, and, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi.a, thi.a, thi.a, thi.a, thi.a, thi.a, thi. awe, but not all as in, oh, it was like,
oh, damn, like what is happening in front of our eyes. And immediately, I knew this was different
than any other injury. And I've seen it all. I've seen bones crack and break,
I've seen ligaments torn. I've seen concussions guys knocked out
I've had those injuries myself
But seeing him go to the ground and then both teams surround him other guys turning their head
In the camera angle from a bird's eye view not really getting into the interior of what was going on all the while cutting back and forth to the studio, I immediately knew that
this was an injury unlike we've ever seen.
Now when the response from the NFL really started to unfold, one, I will say the response from
the doctors in the immediate area, the trainers, the medics, everybody involved, they were as
heroic and as brilliant as ever.
And this isn't me putting on a cape.
One thing I try not to do when we talk is, is wear the shield on my chest and say everything
right that is going to be right for the NFL because I'm a fellow player and I feel work.
I keep it real.
You talk about the NFL like you got cut in the preseason. Well, I have to keep it real because really that's the only the only the only the only, the the the their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, is, is, thi, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is thi, is, is thi, is thi, is thi, is thi, is thi, is thi, is thi, is thi, is thi, is thi, is thi, is thi, is thi, is thi.ei.ei.ei.ei, is thi, is thi, is thi, is thi, is thi, is thi it real because really that's the only way that people will respect
our honesty when talking about these subjects.
Now I say that they were brilliant in their response because they absolutely were talking
to people that work in the medical field, talking to doctors that reached out to me voluntarily,
they said the room for error was so minute that any misstep, any miscommunication amongst all of those voices crowding
over this body and some might describe it as a lifeless body at certain points
any type of miscommunication could have cost him his life or civilly damaged him
for the rest of his life and they were able to perform what we know now as a miracle
and listen we hope and pray that DemMar continues to heal up but in that moment things could have went left
all the way left and we will be having a different discussion about why
didn't they do more in time to save this man's life now can they do more
to save this man's life now can they do more I think that's a touf for a toub thin thin. I know th. th. th. th. th. th. thi thi thi thi thi. thi thi. thi. thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi tho thi thi their thi thi tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi thi thi thi thi thin. thin. thin. thin. the the the the. the. the. the. the the. the the. the the the the to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the the the the the the. the. the? I think that's a tougher question to ask in the grand scheme of things.
I know that looking at what happened, they might be even quicker when I just told you that their
quickness and their response time helps save this man's life. So that was the toughest thing.
Now as far as the NFL moving forward, it's like this. As football players we oftentimes say the league gets bigger and faster. tha faster. thier faster. thier faster. thier faster. thier. thier. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. they they they thi. they're they're thi. thi. they're they're they're they're they're thi. they're they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they th. th. they th. th. they thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the. the. theeeeat. theat. tooooooooooooooooooooooo. te. the. the.. And I know that to be true. When I came in in 2003, I thought my 42 inch vertical and my 4-4 was fast.
And some of the guys that were at my combine running 4-3s were fast.
But since then, you've seen guys jump 45, 46 inches.
You've seen guys run 4-3s, low 4-2s, which means that we as a league as players study what
has happened before us and then we train to get faster when the time comes for us to perform.
I bring all that up is because I think this moment in time is going to be studied and when
we have our league meetings and when these doctors get together, they're going to talk about this moment in time. And their their. And thi. And thiii. And thi. And thi. And thi. I I I I I I I I thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. I's, thi's, thoe, thoea. the, the, theate, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, th... th. th. th. And thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeean, thean, thean, thean, thean, thrainers get together, they are going to talk about this moment in time.
And they are going to figure out how to respond even faster, even quicker.
Now as far as the X's and O's, to keep it all the way around, I can care less about
that game.
People are like, what about that game and's life is on the line and if you can break down strength the schedule, win percentage, how many games you won at home versus on the road and
then you come up well yeah you come up with some type of system that allows
you to see things correctly I'm good with that now the fans might say well
Nate come on man what about home field advantage I mean this is
the postseason what are you talking about Let me break it to you, man.
When it comes to the playoffs, the best teams are going to win.
Rarely will a crowd.
And I know US fans, you feel like you have an impact on every game,
which you do.
I am not being dismissive to players that choke in the moment they are
overshadowed by players that know what they're doing and rise to the
occasion in the postseason. So this whole home field advantage in the league
messing it up it's not that serious. I know that there isn't much of a comparison to what happened with brother Hamlin but talk to me a the the the the the the the the the th. the the th. the the th. the the to to the the to to to the the to to to to the the to to the the to to the the to to to to to to the the to to to to to the. to to to to to to. to. to to to to to to to to to to to to to told. told. told. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. the to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. the field when you see a beloved teammate go down and the play clock is back on 40 and
count down and you got to go get your ass back in the huddle. The the card is
taking this man off the field. Talk to me a little bit about what goes on in the
mind of a player. You know have you ever been on the field and have to struggle with continuing to play?
Yeah, yeah, I'll give you a couple of stories
You know one time when I was in college we were having a spring game which is
InterSquad scrimmage and I do for a ball that's right right right? Yeah, they like who we about to look at this season and hand some hundred dollar handshakes to
So so I dove for this ball, right and I caught it with my hands and
Fully parallel to the ground and as I was trying to bring it in my helmet hit the ground before my body did and I was out
I didn't realize it of course, so when I come to which I found out was around 20 seconds, which is a long time to be laying on the ground??????????? the ground? to? I? I? I? I? I? I? I? I? I? I? I? I? I, to? I, to? I, the the the too. I, too, the too, the too, too, to be, I'm? I'm? I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, so... to. to. to. to. to. to.. to, I... to, I..... to, I... to, I... to, I, I.. to, I. to, I. to, I, to, to, to, to, to, to, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, to, to. to. to. to. to. to. to, to. to. to. to. to, to a long time to be laying on the ground, motionless. So when I get up, the last thing you remember, when the lights come back on is literally the last thing you remember. So I'm like,
oh, I caught this ball, let me go back to the huddle. And I go? Where I thought the huddle in the practice would be, nobody was there.
They're like, Nate, calm down, relax, breathe. You were out for a little bit. You might have a concussion,
and I'm like, what, wait, what's going on? What happened to practice? What happened to
practice? the other side of the field? The I actually calmed down and took a breath, I looked to the other side of the field. Those guys weren't overly concerned with me. They were trying to finish
practice. Now things are a little bit different nowadays because there is some sensitivity, both from
the outside perspective, being fans in the stands and watching at home, but also coaches and
players. But I wanted to share that story is because the show must go on. And I remember I said that shortly after this incident happened and I
wanted to make sure I wasn't dismissive or insensitive to Demar Hamlin and his
family and in me sitting here saying the show must go on as if I can care less about him.
That's not it. What it is is is Skip Bayle is stepped in it too. Yeah he stepped squarely in it. He stepped squarely in it. He that. He that. He that. He stepped squarely in it. He stepped squarely in it. He stepped. He stepped squarely in it. He stepped. He stepped squarely in it. He stepped. He stepped squarely in it. He stepped squarely in it. He stepped. He stepped. He stepped. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. that's that's that's that's that that that that that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's. that's. that's. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the th. the the the the the the the the the te. the the tte. the tte. the. the. the. thi. too in a similar vein. Yeah, he really did.
He stepped square, he stepped squarely in it.
He stepped squarely in it and somebody, this is a segue, our side note, a tangent if you will.
Somebody said, well, Skip Bayless needs to read the room.
I think he does read the room. And he puts out tweets after that tweet wasn't the one that he wanted and he was out of pocket for it and I'm not afraid to say that. And then he backpedal. Yeah, he backpedaled. But but but I wanted to make sure when I said that that I conveyed that and I think people they were receptive to the fact I wasn't being dismissive. But I say the show must go on because we have to see the show must thi th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th the the the the the the that the the show must that that the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the that that the that that the that that see guys get knocked out. We have to see torn ACLs, broken rails.
We have to deal with these things ourselves.
And what we do know is that if we're okay to play, if we can walk, we can run, we can jog, and
we don't have injuries.
Being hurt is different.
We don't have to restrict our play.
We have to go back on the field and have to is up for that that's see that's up for debate
Like some would say I don't have to do anything
But the way I think about it
I'm paid to do a job and if I can't do it
I have to do it even if Mentally in the moment I might be a little unfit and I have to take. to tak the tape the today, they to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the to the to the to the to to the the the to to to the the to to to the to to to to to to the to to to to the to the to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the too too too too too to address these things. They say football is war and that's a soldier's mentality, but how did you feel when you
came to and look up and like, damn, ain't nobody over here, don't nobody care about me?
Or does that type of compassion happen in the locker room after practice when they go,
you're good?
Yeah, you was snowing.
You know, you was out. The sensitivity is on the sideline in real time. Like if somebody has a concussion, this is what happened.
We all wait.
We're all like on pins and needles.
Now we're playing in the game, we're focused, say the field is in front of me.
But in between plays, it's like, hey, yo, what happened?
What happened?
What happened?
What happened?
On the injury tent?
. You know, he heard he's in the locker room, but, you know, he gave a thumbs up on the way and, okay, cool, cool, oh, what happened, what happened to Chris, the ACL, was it the
ACL?
Now they say it's just the spring, but they're going to do MRIs after, okay, cool, cool,
we'll talk to him on the plane.
Like that does happen. grown men are like adult teenagers. So there are times when a guy has an injury and he's
doing okay and that's where the jokes come. And I know we're not trying to be funny right
now but there has been some moments where a guy is slightly concussed where he might
have got a little woozy, a little lightheaded. He wasn't like knocked out completely.
And then we get to the sideline and the trainers are doing the okay, what month is it? When's your birthday? Who's your favorite superhero?
Count backwards from 12?
And then they come back, who's your favorite superhero?
When's your birthday, what month is it?
So they do this whole test.
And then you know what happens?
Five of your closest friends on team come over and like,
hey, broo, you're good. How many fingers? You're the best chicken wings just making right in cussing questions
just making up questions they like man watch out man I'm good I'm ready to play
so there's this fine balance where we know when it's serious we have to you
know have this approach that allows our teammate to know like we got his
back but it is it is something we have to come to grips with. And that was one of the biggest things that I was concerned with when it came to the Buffalo Bills players and
the Cincinnati Bengals players. Like, it's one thing to have their physical freedom to go out
there and play football. I think players have all of their worries, their anxieties, their fears, even depression, whether it's work related, th, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, their, their, and, their, their, their, and, their, their, their, their, their, their, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's their, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it. It's, it. It's, it, it. It. It. It's, it, it, it, it, it, it. It's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's their. It's their. It's their. It's one. their. their. their, it's one's one's one's one's one's one's one's one's one's one's one's one's one's one's one's one's one's one's one's one's one. the the the the related, and put all of those things in a box. That was literally my prayer. God, allow me to put these things that are on my
weighing on my spirit in a box, and then after the game, allow me to get back to that box and
deal with them after football. So we have a way of compartmentalizing physically, but I think the
difficult thing, especially in this situation, is these players coming back on the field and being mentally free.
But where the league is now, I do feel like the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals organization, they have offered therapy if guys so do choose.
Nice. So much more to discuss on this and we'll do that right after the break. This is beyond the scenes. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might
get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience. But not
with Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you tasks fast. And right now you can try it for free. to try it for free to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to find a to to to to to find a to to to to to to to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the try try try the the try try the try the try try the the the the to to to to to smart technology identifies top talent for your roles
quickly. Immediately after you post your job, Zip Recruiter's powerful matching technology
starts showing you qualified people for it, and you can use Zip Recruiter's pre-written
invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and
encourage them to apply sooner. Ditch the other hiring sites and let Zip Recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get
a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at this exclusive web address. Zip
Recruiter.com slash zip. that's zip recruiter.com. Sip Recruiter, the smartest way to hire.
John Stewart here. Unbelievably exciting news. My new podcast, The Weekly Show.
We're going to be talking about the election, economics,
ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches.
Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast.
Now, do you think the magnitude of Hamlin's injury
was eye-opening to the fans. We know that the
players probably already as you've already stated have some awareness of their
mortality on the field but you got to keep doing the job it is what it is and
the OGs from the past well at least you all got pads we didn't have no face
and my day yeah play with three fingers yeah smoking cigarettes a half
time working on railroad trackacks in the offsees. Literally, literally.
Facts, facts.
So, I'll tell you the most gruesome NFL injury, I remember witnessing as a fan.
It was Monday night football, Raiders Niners, Ken Norton tackled Napoleon up the middle, and
he rolled his shin and broke it in two places.
And I distinctly remember over the sound of whatever mics they had on the field,
hearing Napoleon Kaufman's scream.
Like I was in college or something when this happened.
And we were in the dorm, we were in the TV room in the dorm,
we was like, yo, that's not,
and before they, like, and TV showed the replay,
before realizing exactly how gruesome it was, And even Al Michaels was like, yo, don't show that number. TV has the advantage of always popping to the wide shot.
Let's go to a commercial.
Like, it's not like a lot of other sports
where the injury is right there and you can see.
In basketball, you can't see when somebody's certain.
There's not, the stadium ain't big enough.
Right. To cut the super wide shot. So you can see what happens to an ankle. But in football, you can't hide CPR.
There's no way to, even if you go wide, there's clearly something happening.
The emotion on the players around it just said something different.
How do you think this will change how fans view how violent football is?
Did this make new, I don't want to say opponent to the sport?
Did it make more people aware of
the real mortality?
Because like you said, most of the gruesome stuff you see, it's a bunch of people crying
around.
We don't see the bone come out the leg.
You see it.
Yeah.
But TV's never going to show that. So how eye opening do you think the magnitude of the to the thininininininininin, to, to, to, to, to, to, th th th th to, th th thin, to, thin, thin, to, thin, to, to, to, to, to, the, to, the, the, to, to, the, to, the, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, the, the, the, to, the, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, tooome, too, to it was sobering, you know to the extent that
bands who feel like we are these warriors, we are invincible, that we might get banged up,
but eventually we'll be back. We might get knocked down, but eventually we'll dust ourselves off and get back up.
Fans that think like that, next play mentality, I think there is this
this connectivity that they have with the moment now when somebody gets injured versus like somebody going down and then it goes to commercial break and you're like
Let me go grab some chips and let me know when the game's back on now. I think fans understand like how real they can get now. I don't think there will be more opposition to the game because there's certain sports
Now I don't think there will be more opposition to the game because there's certain sports where the physicality is just part of it.
I mean, there's some aspects of soccer with the collisions and the headers.
I know rugby isn't necessarily a national sport here in the states, but it's a big sport all around
the world. You have boxing and MMA, I mean that those sports speak for themselves.
Then of course, football.
You know, these guys are massive and their athletes who just cause these collisions that
are unlike any other end.
To be honest, it's part of the sport.
A lot of these collisions we love because it makes the game.
I'll take you inside my kitchen when it happened.
And I think this will answer your question as well.
You know, I was sitting there and I and just having this conversation with what had just happened.
It's quiet.
You know, it's so quiet in a house you could hear a pin drop.
And I have 18-year-old, 16-year-old to 12-year-old.
So usually, somebody's talking, somebody's cracking jokes.
There's some type of music in that moment. And my wife, she's talking out loud and she says,
you know, this is why I just don't want our sons playing football.
Now mind you, my sons have been playing football since they were young and still do in high school.
And they both want to go off to college and play football and then possibly playing the NFL,
which is the ultimate goal.
My 16-year-old is sitting there and he's just casually eating his
food, he looks over, here's his mom, I'm to his right, he takes another bite and
he's like, mom I'm still going to play football. And he was like things like this
don't happen often. And before I could come in and wear this cape for the
NFL or just the sport of football and say, yeah honey, you know, this doesn't happen that often. I couldn't do that in that moment because I wanted to validate her feelings.
I didn't want to ignore where she was at and how she was speaking and how she was feeling
in that moment.
But at the same time, I also understand what my son is saying, because I've been playing
football since I was eight years, I retired when I was 33, played 11 years in the NFL, I've had some injuries,
don't get me wrong. I've had tackles and hits that were way worse than what Demar Hamlin took.
I just wasn't on the receiving end. The super routine. So it's not to say, oh, we shouldn't be
concerned about a DeMar Hamlin hit. It's to say that those type of hits happen often and the result isn't the same, especially
in the way that DeMar Hamlin went down. So, you know, it's tough because I hear when people say
I don't want my kids playing this sport and it's too violent. Who am I to say that they're wrong
after what they saw. But I also can speak from the other perspective saying, you know, I know plenty of people. More people that that that that that th. That th. That's th. That's thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi's thi's thi. thi is is thi is thi is thi is thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's their their their their their their their their their thi. It's is is is is is. It's is. It's is. It's is. It's is. It's is. It's is thi. It's is thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's toeeeeeatea. It's too. It's too. It's too. It's too. too. the. It's the. It's of people. More people that made it through
this sport on the other side and are able to walk away, run away, and play ball with their
kids in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. So that's why I can I can see it from both lenses. Yeah, I spoke
with a former player. It wasn't a perfect one to one and he agreed, but he said it's like auto racing. There are deaths and people die, but the frequency of death in auto racing is not that high.
Yeah. Comparative to the risk that is taken week after week after week by all of these
NASCAR drivers and all of the safety precautions that have been put in since Dale Earnhardt.
So I understand that. So then off the point that you just said about players who are able to still walk and you the their their their their their their their their their their their their their th, th, th, their th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, the, the, the, the, the, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th, th, th, th, th, the, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the, their, the, the, theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeea, thee, the, the, the, the, that. So then off the point that you just said about players who are able to still walk and you know
Have their mobility and cognitive skills on the other side of
Retirement, you know, Hamlet's recovering a little faster, you know, than doctors expect. He's got a long way to go, but he's not fully covered
or at least wasn't going into that game. Yeah, the way his contract was excuse me, the way the collective bargaining between the league and the players association was set up,
was that traditionally a player like DeMar wouldn't get his medical care guaranteed into for life,
if I'm not mistaken, it's what the NFL said, correct me if I'm wrong. I know it keeps, they keep updating this.
Yeah, yeah, no, you're right there is a way that's planning to protect him right or take care of
him I would say so I would say the Buffalo bills and and also the NFL will
take care of him to see the plan was to push for better benefits and you know this isn't an isolated NFL issue I feel like you know every person that works for any to to the to that the to to to to to to to to to to th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the the the the the the the the the to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th. the. the. the. better benefits. And this isn't an isolated NFL issue.
I feel like every person that works for any type of corporate infrastructure
pushes for more benefits.
And it's okay for NFL players to say, you know, we want a more extended
version of our insurance or maybe even life-time insurance.
But you have to be vested.
You have to be three years, three games,
I believe it is somewhere around there
before you can be covered for that.
And then also a young guy on his first deal,
you know, his money wasn't all guaranteed.
So where does that leave him financially?
I think there was divine intervention on both parts, one to save his life,
all the things that had things things things things things things th things th things th things things things things thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thi thi thi the things that had to happen up until he was in a hospital still fighting for his life.
But also, I think, there was divine intervention because he set up his foundation and, or his charitable
cause and he had this go fund me and wanted to raise $2,500.
Like, that right there.
To raise toys for kids Christmas. I think about if he didn't set that up, or if it wasn't th wasn't th wasn't th. th. th. th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And he th. And he th. And, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, too, too, too, thi, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, to, too, to to to thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi........... And, thi, thi, thi. And, thi. And, thi. And, toe, toe, too, toe, too. And, toe. And, toe. And, toeea. And, toea. And, toea. And, thi. And, set that up or if it wasn't a guy that wasn't
giving to his community in the way that he did that prompted all of this. So you know him having
a little bit of a financial cushion through that Go Fund Me is I know mostly going to go to
his charity but also I think it's going to help him set up his life in the NFL and the Buffalo Bills will
allow him to.
The bigger question is, what about guys who don't have a charitable cause or have this outpoint
of support like we did put the mark.
Your injury wasn't on television commercial free for 40 minutes.
Exactly, exactly.
We have to call it what it is.
What is the NFL going to do moving forward? And I think think think I I I think th th think I th th th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I thi thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi. thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. And I th. And, I th. And, I th. And, I th. And, I th. And, I th. And, I th. And, I th. And, I th. And, I th. And, I th. And, I th. And, I thi. And, I thi. And, I thi. And, I thi. And, I thi. And, I thi. And, I thi. And, I thi. And, I thi. And, I thi. And, I thi. to do moving forward? And I think as players we look in
the mirror and we figure out the best way we can be even better versions of the
a athlete we are in the field. In this moment the NFL has to look in the
mirror and figure out the best way to be the best sports, professional sports
or organization out there and then be better when guys go down and they can't take another snap.
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Beyond the scenes we are back and talking player safety in the NFL. So Nate, beyond finances, what are some other ways that the NFL can protect their players?
You know, do you think, first off, do you think the league is doing all they can
to protect the players, minds and bodies and bank accounts?
All they can? I don't think the league is doing the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the players minds and bodies and bank accounts. All they can. I don't think the league is doing all that they can.
I think they're doing the best job that they can.
And that isn't a cop out.
No, that's fair.
That's me saying that until the league knows how much they really can do, then
they're going to do the best version of what they think is taking care of the players physically immensely.
What our job is, the NFL PA and the people that are in charge of fighting for not only current players
and newly retired players, but also we're still fighting for guys from the early 2000s, 90s,
80s, 70s, you know, 60s, we want to fight for those guys as well.
And I didn't have the benefit of the research. Who didn't have the benefits of research?
Who didn't have the benefits in general that we have?
You know, we all oftentimes talk about
when it comes from struggle to now finding any type of freedom in any space,
we say, well, well, they walked so we could run.
And it's true, but we have to run and then pass that money back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back to that money back down to the OGs. I do think lifetime benefits, you know,
whether it's some scale of insurance,
we have to continue to push for that.
Lifetime support when it comes to physical rehab
for injuries that you're going to have.
It's inevitable.
I said this on TV and I'll keep repeating it so people really understand.
The injury rate in the NFL is 100%. You will get banged up. Now, now. Now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi, that, that, that, thi, that, that's, that, thi, thi, that's, that's, that, that, that, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th. th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, that, that, that, that's that's that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, thi. And, th understand, the injury rate in the NFL is 100%. You will get banged up. Now of course, the degree is different.
It's everything from a sprained ankle where you come back in a week or two to an ACO that
has set you out for six to nine months, all the way to concussions and something like
something that happened to DeMar.
The Demar example is extreme, but all I'm saying is if that is true, the injury the injury the injury trueueueueueueue true true is true true true true true true true true true true true true true true true true true true true the injury the injury the injury the injury is true the injury is true the injury is true the is true, the injury rate is 100%, the NFL should offer something.
Some type of physical rehab that a guy can lean on
post-career until the day he dies.
And then the availability-
Except for punters and kinkers.
Well, kickers are people too.
Kikas are people too.
They respect to it.
And then mental health. Having, you know, the ability to reach, at to, at, at, at, at, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, the, the, to, the, to, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.a, the know, the ability to reach out at any given time, whether it's individually or it's couples therapy or it's just work related.
And here's the thing. I want people to to know this. The NFL does offer these things right now for former players.
You can reach out to them and say, hey, I need therapy. They will find therapists in your area, give you five free sessions, and then figure out
if you want to move forward.
Same thing with rehab.
And there's a ton of benefits.
Players do have to realize, if they make a phone call
to the NFL headquarters or the NFL PA,
they will send them an email a long laundry list of things
that you actually get the hook up up the hook up the hook up the hook up up up the hook up up the hook up the the the the the hook up the the then with the same thing goes for pension then because I know that a lot of guys deal with
With post-retirement depression because football is the only thing you've done since you were eight or nine years old
That's all you know and so now you're 35 and what next? What do I do? And trying to find job placement, you know in that capacity as well?
How do you feel, you know? Because when you we we we we we we we? W, what? W, what? W, w, we we we we we we we we we we we we we t, w, w, w, w, w tell, w tell, w tell, tell, try tell, tell, tha try tell, tell, tha tha tha tha tha tha tha tha tha tha tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, t, t, t, t, tha, tha, tha, try, try, try, try, try try try try tell, tell, tell, tell, tell, to to to tell, to thau, to tell, to to to to tell, to tell, to tell, try try try trying to find job placement, you know, in that capacity as well. How do you feel, you know, because when you, when we talk about guaranteed country,
everything you're talking about are things that need to happen, right?
Baseball is guaranteed money dollar for dollar, even if you suck, even if you leave the league.
Bobby Benea is still getting paid, he has not played baseball in 15 years.
NBA money is guaranteed dollar for the day.
NHL dollar for dollar.
How likely, and I know this is pie in the sky,
but how likely, just give me a percentage wise.
We'll wrap it up here.
Percentage wise, what is the likelihood of the NFL ever offering guaranteed contracts, which could help to give players the money they need to do all of that other the the the the the the th th th th th th th th th th th the other th the other the other th th the other tho the other tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho to do to do to do to do to do. to do. to do to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to do do..... to to do. to to do. to do. to to to the other. the other. the other. the other. the other. the other. the other. their their the the the tho. the the the the the the the the the the toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. to likelihood of the NFL ever offering guaranteed contracts, which could help to give players the money they need to do all of that other stuff?
I would say 90%... Like in the next collective bargaining, in the next collective bargaining, now with Hamlin's injury on television and the public sentiment changing against the league, yeah. Does that swing the tide in the favor of the players association at the next collective bargaining situation and could guarantee contracts? What is the percentage? What, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the the the, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th the the th the the thea the-c-c-c-c-upe the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the the the the the the the the the the the th. the the the the the the the the tea tea tiea tiea tiea tha tha tiea tha thauea thauea the the the the the the the the the backs the big time linebackers a big running backs receivers tight ends Etc, you know, but we've been seeing it though. I've been seeing some of these contracts like I've been seeing some of thee's
theycepah contract that quarterback just signed did you see but not to cut you off but don't Those bigger contracts like say like a Russell Wilson like I know Dishon Watson's money in Cleveland is guaranteed dollar? thranny? th, th, th, th, th., the, th. th. th. th. th. their. th. th. th. th. th. their. th. th. thin, I. thin, I thin, I thin, I the, I'm thin, I'm their that, I'm the, it's the, I'm the, I'm the, I'm the, I'm the, I the, I the, I the, I thee in some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some, I's, I th. th. I th. I th. I thin, I thin, I thin, I thin, I thin, I the, I'm the, I'm the, I'm the, it's the thean, it's thean, it's thean, it's thean, thean, thean, thean's thean's thean's thean's th but it seems like a lot of the bigger star contracts they front load them with signing bonuses.
Yeah, true. Make the rest of the players in the league go, see one day you can get a nice big lump sum.
Yeah, bitch lump sum ain't dollar for dollar. Right, that's a fact. And in those big contracts pulled away from some of these younger guys. So, so the question is how do we find the balance? It th. th. the the the the the the the the the the th. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the their their their their their their their their their their their their their. their. their. their. their. their. Yeah, their. Yeah, their. Yeah, their. Yeah, their. Yeah, their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. It's. their. tr. tr. tr. tr. tr. true. true. true. true. true. true. true. true. true. true. their. true. their. their. guys. So so the question is how do we find the balance?
Like it's great to congratulate these quarterbacks that just made a killing. Oh, man
You got 200 million guarantee. Oh, man, that's all right, but what about the young dude who's fighting for his first big bag?
Who got in and got handed a $200,000 check? He's making $700,000, but none of his guarantee and we don't know if he's the he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he's he's he's he's he's. he he he he he he he he he he he's hea hea. hea. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. to th. to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to th. th. th. th. th. their. their. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. to thin. thin. to th. the. to to to to to to to to to to to know if he's going to make it to his next contract let alone a second or third
So I think the bigger question is when will the league
Start to make the contracts for the second tier in third tier players on these teams fully guaranteed or at least as close as possible and I believe we're heading in that direction
One because for a long time it's been the NFL
I mean the NFL who's looking up at the NBA in Major League Baseball for a long time and now that we're starting to see it a little bit with the big superstars
It's going to trickle down at some point to the rest of the squad now if we're looking at the NFL of course the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the of course from their standpoint they're like man We're paying everybody fully guaranteed money some of these guys aren't going to last whether it's due to injury getting cut released or traded I don't want to pay everybody every single dollar. Oh well the NFL is making so much money that they do have the ability to and there's going to have to be some compromise when it comes to these owners
YouTube just? You just paid a billion. the? the $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $1. I. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I'm tho. I they's they's they's they they they they they they they they they they they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they's they's they's they's they's they's they's they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're to to be to be to be to be to be to be to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the. I the. I they're they're they're they're these owners. YouTube just paid a billion dollars for Sunday ticket.
Come on man, come on. Bitch, I want my dollar for dollar. That's a fact and I believe we are
heading that direction. And here's the thing. The more we know about what goes on behind the
curtain, which is stuff like that. You're talking about how much money the league is making.
That's when we become unapologetic in our demands. I remember when I first the league the league the league the league the league the league the league the league the league the league the league the league the league the league the league the league how much money the league is making that's when we become unapologetic in our demands I remember when I first got in the league I was thinking to myself
Man, I run through a brick wall for this team and I'd bleed and die for these colors. This is everything that I love and you're like I don't care if they're paying me, you know, because you hear the whispers man. I'll get my right on to play in the NFL. I the the th f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'll th. I'll th. I'll th.ir. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. th. t. tou. t. tou. t. tou. t. tou. the. the. the. the. the. the. their. their. their. the much money the NFL is making how much these teams are making individually and how much money they're driving in whether there's butts and seats, ticket sales, merchandise.
Collectively, they are making so much bread that we have to get our slice. So I think now that we realize how much money is out there on the table, it's easier for us to negotiate what we really want. I think that the DeMart Hamlin incident incident incident incident incident incident incident incident incident incident incident the football the football the football. I the football. I the the th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I'm th. I their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their. their. their. their. There. There. their. It their. I their. I their. I their. I their. I their. I th. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm their their their th. the table, it's easier for us to negotiate what we really want. I think that the DeMar Hamlin incident on Monday night football also turned a lot of the people who are quick to say, well, I would love to get a $200,000 just to catch a ball.
Like, those people who have no sympathy for players and feel like the players already get enough, and they're just rich crybabies. I think it's even their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their. I'm their. I'm their. I'm their. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. I. their. I's. their. I's. I's. I's. their. I's. their. I's their. their. their. their. their. I's their. their. their. their their the. I'm ta. ta. ta. ta.a.a. ta.a.a.a.a.a.a.a. ta.a.a.a. ta.a.a. I'm. I'm the players already get enough and they're just rich crybabies. I think it's even turning them into understanding no, we're taking real risk.
This is not like your job. I need more money. There's a very human aspect of this that I think we all
felt. You know, um, DeMar's uncle said before the game he was my nephew.
After the game, after the incident, he was America's nephew. And I thought. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to theee. the. the. the. the. the he was my nephew. After the game, after the incident, he was America's nephew.
And I thought that was a dope comment because it put it all in perspective.
Now, you know, these fans who might be somewhat callous to what we go through as athletes that
just care about the end results, wins, playoff wins in the Super Bowl for their home team or a fantasy football championship, yelling at the screen, calling us garbage, to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the championship, yelling at the screen, calling us garbage,
telling us to hurry up and hill up from an injury,
walking away from the TV as soon as the guy goes down
because you want the game to resume.
I think now you look at the game,
now you look at the players,
now you look at the moments when guys go down a little bit differently. And if we all can grow from that th th and th and th and th and th and th and th and th and th and th and th and th and th and the the th and the th and the the th, th, thi thi thi, thi, the the, the, the the, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, to to to to to to th............ th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi.. thi. to thi. thi a thi a to thi a to thi thi thi thi thi thi, that, I think we'll be better from that. Well, Nate Burlson, I love you, brother.
I love you too, man.
I appreciate you, brother.
Thank you so much for giving us a little bit of your time.
We look for you as always on CBS Mornings and send my best to Gale and the gang and Vlad
and everybody.
No doubt.
All right.
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