Football Players' Life Expectancy = 51 Years

WOW!!!  I was kind of shocked when I saw this.  I know many football players have been having health problems, but they actually live about 25 years less than the normal person in the U.S.   You ahve to ask yourself, "Is it worth it?" 

The CFL (Canadian Football League) Players Association held union meetings in Las Vegas last week. Association president Stu Laird's presentation included these tidbits:

The average life expectancy “for all pro football players, including all positions and backgrounds, is 55 years. Several insurance carriers say it is 51 years.”  (Note: these numbers include American and Canadian football players)
He went on to list reasons for this shortened lifespan, including a diet of high GI carbs which leads to Insulin spikes and artery damabe along with the frequent concussions sufferend by players.  Drug use (steroids and others) also lead to early death in some players. 

I am a parent of a young boy and I am having second thoughts about him playing football.  I have seen way too many concussions lately at all levels and have read horror stories of football players battling mental problems that have led to violent behavior and/or suicide.  I graduated from Texas with Shane Dronett.  Although we were not close friends, I was an acquaintence -- We had a couple of classes together.  He seemed like a nice guy.  He went on to play with the Denver Broncos.  He ended up suffering from trauma caused by too many concussions.  He became violent, attacked his wife and friends and ended up committing suicide. He died before he hit 40. 

This is a serious problem that needs to be examined closely.  If I were a young man, I do not know if I would want to sacrifice 20 or 30 years of my life to make a bunch of $$$ that I will not be able to enjoy for long.