Jazy, brought up the Costas anti-gun rant on another thread, thought I'd bring it here so I didn't hijack it.
I have always hat a lot of respect for Costas . St Louis guy, where I went to school, good analyst. Liked the interview show he did.
Scratch him off the list. First off that's not the time or place for such things, and second it shows he's a fool (or a shill for the NFL, not out of the question IMO). Wouldn't know where to start with all the failings of his position, but we may start with the utter failure of the health care community and the NFL to address players with serious physical head injuries and resulting emotional issues.
So it's not that he had brain damage that was the issue, or how he continued to play with problems. It wasn't that as a player he became addicted to the pain meds given to him by team doctors to keep him playing and keep butts in the seats. It wasn't that he became violently unbalanced and an addict and became a threat to others while no one reported it or addressed it.
Oh no, the "problem" was the weapon he chose. If he hadn't had access to a gun she may have survived the stabbing or strangling or better yet they'd just suffer along in his addiction and misery. this is your solution to that tragedy?
Not regular psych exams for guys who have been hit in the head 3,000 times in their playing careers, not examining the fact that the NFL hands out pain meds like tic tacs so players can continue playing, not questioning the people who have all come forward saying "oh yeah he was messed up" as to why they did nothing, oh no.
Don't try to address domestic violence in terms of mental health or options to make sure people have a place to contact for help in those situations, or attacking it with marketing and messages like we did smoking to increase awareness and encourage people to act. Oh no, wait till they snap and are taking action to kill themselves or someone else and then try to keep the deaths to a minimum by limiting the effectiveness of available weapons.
that's the answer, even if that means the 100s of 1,000s of people who use handguns every year to defend themselves and their families are now toast. Screw the elderly lady who couldn't possibly defend herself with physical strength. Ignore the many 1000s of cases of handguns used to prevent violence every year.
Oh no, the best way to address people who are mentally ill and at risk of hurting others isn't to address their illness in any way but to make sure millions of other innocent people are defenseless against criminals.
Really? This is your logic?
The NFL failed from his team to their medical staff to the league and their policies. Their friends and family failed by being unwilling to seek help for a situation they now admit they knew was a problem. Didn't see him call them out did ya? What a gutless wonder, but it goes to the point but far easier to blame an inanimate object than the failure of his employer to address a known problem, i.e. the head injuries and drug abuse incurred in their business.
The whole incident reads like the script of North Dallas Forty. Concussions, erratic behavior including off field violence, drug addiction, domestic issues, indifference by the team and medical staff. Seriously, it's right out of a very unflattering movie about the NFL.
Wouldn't be surprised if Costas wasn't intentionally trying to shift blame from the NFL. This is the sort of thing that could raise embarrassing questions about how he developed a pain med addiction, how they medically assess people with possible concussions, etc.
Hey I know!!! Let's blame the gun. Lots of people will buy in and none of them want to hear how the problem in this tragedy is the most popular sport in America.
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