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Seahawks' Sherman On Football Risks: 'Can't Think About It'

Elaine Thompson
/
AP Photo
Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, left, and free safety Earl Thomas, right, tackle Oakland Raiders wide receiver James Jones Nov. 2, 2014, in Seattle.

There will be no football game Friday night for Evergreen High School in Seattle, following the death of one of their players after last week's game.

Kenny Bui's death was brought up at Seahawks practice this week, where cornerback Richard Sherman discussed the risks associated with football. It is also the topic this week for KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel.

Tragic But Rare

Despite Bui being the fourth high school football player to die from an on-field injury this season in the United States, Thiel said it's still a rare event in sports.

"Anytime you have a death like this to a young person, it's a tragedy," he said. "And everyone is looking for solutions, as rightly they should.

"In this case, I think the numbers are infinitesimally small when it comes to fatalities per school, per conference, per district, per city, per state. There are just thousands and thousands of football hours put in where there are no fatalities. There are certainly injuries.”

Fatal Blow Versus Long-Term Damage

"The player safety issues here are two different things," Thiel continued. "One is the kind of blow that can create a fatality. And those are extremely rare, such as this case.

"The second sports safety issue is the chronic hits to a head that are typical in football. And that's what's led to what's generally called traumatic brain injury and specifically associated with a degenerative brain disorder called CTE [Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy].

"That's the scary part, I think, for most parents and most administrators - that they can't know this is happening because it's only over the long term that consequences become apparent.”

Richard Sherman: 'Can't Think About Risks’

The subject of long-term brain injury came up this week during Seahawks practice.  Cornerback Richard Sherman talked with reporters about the risks of football:

Sherman: "I think while you're in this game - while you're in the NFL - you can't think about things like that. Because it changes the way you play the game. It changes the way you approach it. That's why guys are retiring left and right because they know if you stop playing this game at 100 percent, full-speed, all out - that's it. That's it. You've lost that step and you're putting yourself in danger. And you're putting your body in danger - even more so than it already is.”

Thiel said Sherman is right that players should not think about the risks during the season or during the game. 

"You can't put that in the forefront of your mind because you will lose the concentration required to execute well and do the physical deed the right way. Because if you're hesitant, you will be injured," Thiel said.

He noted that some of the risks can be mitigated.

"They've worked on tackling techniques that improve the chances for a non-injurious blow to be delivered. And there are improvements in equipment that are helping."

Advice For Parents

"If you're looking for a risk-free endeavor for a child in sports, I'd recommend golf," Thiel said. "Everything else - whether it's gymnastics, basketball, volleyball - there is some risk involved.

"As Richard said in the press conference, 'if you get in your car and drive, there's a risk.’

"The best thing for parents to do is get information about risk. I think once you look at some of the big data that's been assembled by injuries among high school athletes, you'll discover, for example, soccer has almost as high an incident rate as football.

“[That’s] because there is head contact with the ball and there's also head contact with other heads, with elbows, with knees, with the ground - and they don't play with helmets. So, that's a consideration for a parent.

"All kinds of information is out there now in the increasing scrutiny that brain trauma is under," Thiel continued. "And I would advise parents to eliminate the risk-reward question for a child during the game or during the season.

"Make it ahead of time. Make it understood by both parent and child that there is a risk. Because information is available now. And that's the answer to a very difficult question.”

You can find Art Thiel's work at Sportspress Northwest and Crosscut.com.

Kirsten Kendrick hosts Morning Edition on KNKX and the sports interview series "Going Deep," talking with folks tied to sports in our region about what drives them — as professionals and people.
Art Thiel is a co-founder and writer for the rising sports website Sportspress Northwest. In 2003 Thiel wrote the definitive book about the Seattle Mariners, “Out of Left Field,” which became a regional bestseller. In 2009, along with Steve Rudman and KJR 950 afternoon host Mike Gastineau, Thiel authored “The Great Book of Seattle Sports Lists,” a cross between historylink.org and Mad Magazine that has become mandatory reading for any sports fan who has an indoor bathroom.