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A comment on I’m the Wife of a Former N.F.L. Player. Football Destroyed His Mind. Parent comment

Re:I’m the Wife of a Former N.F.L. Player. Football Destroye... by icelancer on Friday February 02, 2018 @01:44PM (#16293041)
>> The fact there are no pads or helmets actually makes Rugby safer.

This is oft-cited but before helmets, NFL players were dying at a pretty rapid pace [0], and this is before advanced strength and conditioning.

NFL players rush into each other at full speed knowing the risks. Why would that change if you removed protective padding that has been proven to do very little?

[0]: One such article on the topic: https://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/19-football-players-died-in-...

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Re:I’m the Wife of a Former N.F.L. Player. Football Destroye... by Clubber on Friday February 02, 2018 @01:51PM (#16293114)
Yes, Teddy Roosevelt is credited for saving football. In 1904, there were 18 deaths in college football alone, and there weren't that many colleges and not that many games.

http://www.history.com/news/how-teddy-roosevelt-saved-footba...

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Re:I’m the Wife of a Former N.F.L. Player. Football Destroye... by patmcguire on Friday February 02, 2018 @03:34PM (#16293982)
It's the hard helmets vs leather that's the the issue, the hard helmet lets players use their head as a weapon.

Injuries were also caused by a lot of plays that are illegal today - flying wedges and various dirty blocks (clipping, chop blocks).

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