Robert Kraft is well-aware of the report published Thursday in The New York Times stating the NFL omitted at least 100 concussions as part of its concussion research from 1996 to 2001.
The New England Patriots owner also is well-aware of the league’s rebuttal to the story and the positives that can come from playing football despite the inherent health risks involved with contact sports.
“I’ll just say this, any contact sport, whether it’s women’s soccer, hockey or football, there are going to be concussions,” Kraft said Thursday night at Team IMPACT’s Game Day Gala at Boston’s Seaport World Trade Center, according to CSNNE.com. “I’ll tell you this, that I think the game has never been safer from an equipment point of view, from a medical point of view.
“I know I played, two of my sons played, my three grandsons play, so we have three generations playing the game, and I think the life lessons that you get playing football are worth the risk.”
Concussions are part of football. It’s extremely unfortunate and the NFL insists it’s doing whatever it can to prevent dangerous head trauma. But it’s impossible to eliminate head injuries altogether. So while every safety precaution imaginable should be considered, it often comes down to individuals deciding whether to put their health in danger for the love of the game and everything else that comes with it.
Count Kraft among those who would be willing to roll those dice.
Thumbnail photo via Andrew Innerarity/USA TODAY Sports Images
