On Saturday, Miami Dolphins guard Byron Jones shared a video graphic image of his NFL performance with two strong messages.
A 2015 gif offered comparisons to show just how impressive the former University of Connecticut athlete’s 12-foot-3 long jump was.
“A lot has changed in 8 years. Today I can’t run or jump because of the injuries I got in this game. DO NOT take the pills you are given. DO NOT take the injections you are given. See a third-party doctor for long-term effects,” Jones wrote on Twitter.
The 2018 professional bowler sent another message that seemed to hint at his potential retirement, as well as a note about the future of the league. His warning came just two days before the next scouting gathering, which will take place from February 27 to March 6.
“It was an honor and a privilege to play in the NFL, but it came at an unfortunate price that I didn’t foresee. In my opinion, no amount of professional success or financial gain is worth avoiding chronic pain and disability,” he wrote. “Good luck to the 2023 draft class.”
Jones, 30, missed the entire 2022 season after being placed on the physically unable to compete list. An operation on Achilles during the off-season prevented him from getting a physical to return to the Dolphins.
He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys and finished his rookie season with 67 combined tackles and nine pass deflections in 11 starts in 16 games. In 2020, he signed a five-year, $82 million contract with the Dolphins.
To date, Jones has recorded four interceptions, 444 combined tackles, three quarterback hits, 11 tackles for the loss, four forced fumbles and 57 pass deflections in 109 career games for the Cowboys and Dolphins.
A group of former NFL players share Jones’ feelings.
According to Miami Herald reporter Barry Jackson, Jones not retiring – but expected to be laid off dolphins. When Jones eventually retires, he won’t be alone in his fight against the game’s lasting impact. Earlier this month, a group of 10 former NFL players filed a lawsuit accusing the league of lying and breaking the law in denying disability benefits. A potential class action lawsuit was filed Feb. 9 in federal court in Baltimore.
Like Jones, the plaintiffs allege that football left them with lingering injuries. Some of the former players also say that the cognitive trauma from the game continues to make their lives difficult. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL Board of Disabled Affairs are named as defendants.
The lawsuit also alleges that doctors examining players for the league’s disability plan have a financial interest in dropping claims to ensure future referral from the program.
Chris Seeger, a lawyer who served as class counsel in a separate settlement of $1 billion NFL concussion lawsuits, spoke with ESPN about a recently filed lawsuit.
“This is a small fraction of the players who were affected by the NFL’s disability plan,” Seager said. “These former players deserve much more from a multi-billion dollar organization than they do from a bogus process that has no chance of success.”
Source: sports.yahoo.com
