In a powerful Twitter video on Tuesday, former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf put the NFL on blast after retired receiver Vincent Jackson, 38, died in a Florida hotel room on Monday, according to police. Police said there were no apparent signs of trauma. They are investigating the cause of death.
But Leaf was shaken up by the outlines of the story — Jackson had been staying at the hotel since Jan. 11, and was reported as missing by his family last week — enough to post his raw thoughts.
“The NFL just doesn’t (expletive) care. They don’t care,” Leaf said. “They’ll write condolence letters and (expletive) like that, but if they were invested, they’d actually put some money behind the Legends Community and into the mental-health, substance-abuse side of it.”
“Once you’re bad for the brand, the shield, they could give two (expletive). I don’t know what the (expletive) to do. They don’t get how precious life is, and then I have this (expletive) survivors guilt. A ton of it. You need to do something. … Just be part of the solution.”
I don’t know who needs to hear this, or if I just needed to say it, but I will not continue to stand by and watch my brothers disappear because the multi billion $$$ corporation won’t do the right thing. @nfl @NFLPA do something!! #igoturback #nflbrotherhood pic.twitter.com/rQciHiPSgZ
— Ryan D Leaf (@RyanDLeaf) February 16, 2021
Leaf was a poster child of what NFL draft prospects shouldn’t be, with a failed career after going No. 2 overall. But he’s become a forceful spokesman for former players in recent years — a true success story in his post-NFL life. After struggling with drug addiction for years, Leaf got clean and has turned to public speaking about his struggle with substance abuse and mental-health problems. And in the case of his public speaking in this video, his criticism of the NFL is on-point.
If we’re talking about mental health, we have to start with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease found in many former NFL players who suffered repeated blows to the head. Per the New York Times, CTE can cause memory loss, confusion, depression and dementia. But we know the NFL has fought to deemphasize the severity of the disease. Doctor Bennett Omalu famously fought with the NFL amid the league’s attempts to discredit his findings on CTE.
We’ve seen multiple NFL players, including safety Dave Duerson and linebacker Junior Seau, died by suicide by shooting themselves in the chest, rather than the head. Duerson left a note and revealed he chose that method of suicide with hopes that science could study his brain. We’ve seen more NFL players, like Le’Ron McClain, openly cry for help with mental-health issues on social media.
The NFL also doesn’t seem to have opioid-use under control, with Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre saying he had to check into rehab facilities three times during his career. Hundreds of former players reported using pain pills during their stint in the NFL, something they never did in college. Many players experience financial hardship after the NFL. A study in 2015 showed that one in six NFL players go bankrupt.
The NFL discards its players like fans discarding empty beer cans after a game. It’s a dangerous business that advertises itself as wholesome.
Leaf’s cry for help is one the NFL needs to honor immediately. The first step to solving a problem is acknowledging a problem. And the NFL seems unable to do that. Perhaps Leaf’s efforts will get the NFL one step closer to a solution.
