Amani Toomer calls out Kurt Warner

**leachisabeast** · 05-04-2012, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by GOTA

You can stop them if they are under 18 and you are their legal guardian. I have this debate with my wife all the time. My son is almost 9 and she still doesn't feel that he should be playing football. He plays soccer all year without any pads or helmets and somehow that's okay in her mind. Some battles you just can't win. At least she's agreed to let our 6 year old daughter play lacrosse. Baby steps.

Honestly I like both Toomer and Warner and see where they are both coming from. This is one of the rare issues where I really can't chose a side.

Man I don't like soccer lol, rugby is a much better sport. I know that you have a legal obligation to give permission for your child to do things by a consent form, but what I'm saying is, if I had a kid I would probably sign that letter to let him play if he really wanted to. Can't say the same about the mrs's!

**alien bird** · 05-04-2012, 08:50 AM

Originally Posted by GOTA

My son is almost 9 and she still doesn't feel that he should be playing football. He plays soccer all year without any pads or helmets and somehow that's okay in her mind.

You should do some research on ankle and knee injuries in soccer and give it to your wife. When I was rehabbing an injury, 80% of the teenagers coming in to rehab their knees were soccer players.

**SouthSide** · 05-04-2012, 08:56 AM

I respect both Warner's and Toomer's opinions. But even more so, I repesct my sister's opinion. She does Neurology reseearch down at NIH whe she does a lot of brain scanning, imaging, etc. And she opened my eyes to the cumulative effects of concussions.

I only played football in high school. And I thought that I never had a Concussion because I had never been "knocked out". But I was told to look at all the times I had my "bell rung", saw "stars", or spoke incoherently after taking/delivering a hit. Then I realized that I may have had more than a few Concussions, however mild they may have been. The effects of Consussions, as I have been told, accumulate over time. So that damage to your brain keeps adding up.

Knowing what I know now....I am having 2nd thoughts about my son, my only child, playing football. Now, he is only 10 months old. But still, I doubt that helmet technology will catch up by the time he can play tackle football. I see the small kids just learning to hit, and they are constantly leading with their head, spearing each other, and getting hurt. For many of us, it was just a part of growing up and learning the game. But the long-term consequences of these can be severe, and they are very real.

I can only imagine the impact this has on guys who play on through college and into the pros.

**pslholder96** · 05-04-2012, 08:56 AM

I don't have a problem with what Warner said. He gets paid to give an opinon even if that means throwing the game under the bus. He had his "parent" hat on when he gave that opinion. Not a big deal. Amani Toomer kept saying lots of kids would react to Kurt Warner's statement. I don't beleive it because Kurt Warner does not have that kind of "staying" power. Now if Ray Lewis said something like that you better believe people would stop and listen.

**moose10101** · 05-04-2012, 09:07 AM

All of you who think Warner is wrong because of everything football did for him need to read this:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2...urrentPage=all

Actually, all of you who agree with Warner need to read it too.

**Corey** · 05-04-2012, 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by moose10101

All of you who think Warner is wrong because of everything football did for him need to read this:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2...urrentPage=all

Actually, all of you who agree with Warner need to read it too.

That's quite scary. That reminds me of that infamous game against the Dolphins in 07. Boller got knocked out of the game and they showed him sitting on the sideline. He just looked so confused. I think one of the announcers even commented that he doesn't look like he knows where he is.

**NJRaven** · 05-04-2012, 09:47 AM

I don't have a problem with what either of them said. Anything involving the brain and damage to it is a very scary thing. If you decide you don't want your children taking that risk, then that is a decision you must make as a parent. He has the right to say that regardless of what his current job is. Football can save lives (getting kids off the streets) or, as we are now learning, end lives as well. There isn't really a wrong or a right.

**blah3** · 05-04-2012, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by NJRaven

I don't have a problem with what either of them said. Anything involving the brain and damage to it is a very scary thing. If you decide you don't want your children taking that risk, then that is a decision you must make as a parent. He has the right to say that regardless of what his current job is. Football can save lives (getting kids off the streets) or, as we are now learning, end lives as well. There isn't really a wrong or a right.

Here is where the right an wrong come in. Toomer is wrong to tell Kurt Warner to basically shut up.
If Toomer wants to allow his kids to play football, that's fine. That's not wrong.
If Warner does not want to allow his kids to play football, that's fine too. That's not wrong either.

**moose10101** · 05-04-2012, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by NJRaven

I don't have a problem with what either of them said. Anything involving the brain and damage to it is a very scary thing. If you decide you don't want your children taking that risk, then that is a decision you must make as a parent. He has the right to say that regardless of what his current job is. Football can save lives (getting kids off the streets) or, as we are now learning, end lives as well. There isn't really a wrong or a right.

You don't have a problem with Toomer saying, "Kurt Warner needs to keep his opinions to himself"???

**JMUpurkfool** · 05-04-2012, 11:43 AM

Did anybody just hear Merrill Hoge on SC talking about Warner's comments?

Some of his main points:

His son plays football and the only concussion he has ever got was from crashing bike. (I guess we're going to ignore that the most dangerous concussions are the very small ones that happen frequently during play and add up over time)

If you don't let your kids play football, they will play xbox and eat donuts and become obese. (Totally, there are no other sports in the world.)

He coaches youth football and his kids miss more time from practice from injuries that occur during lunch and recess, not on field injuries. (Sure.)

If anyone wants a prime example of the dangers of football to the brain they can consider Merrill Hoge 'Exhibit A'.

**GOTA** · 05-04-2012, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by alien bird

You should do some research on ankle and knee injuries in soccer and give it to your wife. When I was rehabbing an injury, 80% of the teenagers coming in to rehab their knees were soccer players.

That's a great idea. Something to work on before the Fall.

**SouthSide** · 05-04-2012, 12:28 PM

Originally Posted by JMUpurkfool

Did anybody just hear Merrill Hoge on SC talking about Warner's comments?

Some of his main points:

His son plays football and the only concussion he has ever got was from crashing bike. (I guess we're going to ignore that the most dangerous concussions are the very small ones that happen frequently during play and add up over time)

If you don't let your kids play football, they will play xbox and eat donuts and become obese. (Totally, there are no other sports in the world.)

He coaches youth football and his kids miss more time from practice from injuries that occur during lunch and recess, not on field injuries. (Sure.)

If anyone wants a prime example of the dangers of football to the brain they can consider Merrill Hoge 'Exhibit A'.

And that is what I can't stand, dishonest and biased debate on the issue to the point where you can't even take Merril's comments serious. It seems like some guys who played their careers and came out reletively healthy act as if the concussion issue isn't that serious.

I'm OK with other people's decisions to play football. I just think that everyone should be well aware of the risks. Merrill's dishonest debate does not help to inform people.

One more reason not to like the guy.

**LC_Ravens_87** · 05-04-2012, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by moose10101

All of you who think Warner is wrong because of everything football did for him need to read this:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2...urrentPage=all

Actually, all of you who agree with Warner need to read it too.

Wait, those dogs that Vick fought got paid?? Ohh, did that article say the dogs had a CHOICE to fight/play???

And at this point not a single person in sports is ignorant of the long-term risks of concussions. If a guy CHOOSES to play in the NFL or in college, he assumes the risk. Warner, as a parent, can decide what's best for his kids; but the article you cite doesn't really concern that so much.

Now does the NFL as an employer have a moral obligation to provide for these guys after their careers are over, of course. But ultimately, people make their own choices. It's no different than the Federal Gov't dangling the carrot of free college tuition or citizenship for service members in the armed forces...risk your health, and you will be rewarded financially. Still a choice though.

**Captain Silver** · 05-04-2012, 12:58 PM

I've had my bell rung plenty. Been knocked out cold in two fights. Shit happens. People develop Alzheimer without ever experiencing a knockout.

Fact is, football made a lot of these people. No one forced them to be NFL players. It is a dangerous job, just like being a fireman or a policeman. Bad things can happen in a lot of careers. Half the fishermen on the Bering Sea will be maimed or damn near broken for the rest of their lives.

If Warner doesn't want his kid to be any of those things fine, but don't be a hypocrite about it. Hell, my 30 nephew has permanent disc damage from bending over and picking up heavy shit while being a plumber.

Life is hard, period. Wish I had a couple million to sit in a chair on the NFL network and bitch about how rough it is.

**moose10101** · 05-04-2012, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by LC_Ravens_87

And at this point not a single person in sports is ignorant of the long-term risks of concussions.

Sure they're not. You're joking, right? Also, the article made it clear that diagnosed concussions are only a small part of the problem. Thousands of impacts that don't cause any concussion symptoms at all are the bigger issue. How many players aren't aware of that? Probably 98% of them.

**NJRaven** · 05-04-2012, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by moose10101

You don't have a problem with Toomer saying, "Kurt Warner needs to keep his opinions to himself"???

i meant their opinions on the topic. i don't know why toomer felt the need to call him out. maybe he needed a ratings boost?

**pyite32** · 05-04-2012, 02:27 PM

While I generally feel that Kurt Warner is and always has been an intolerable Douche, I have no problem with him saying this despite the millions he made from the sport. I don't find it hypocritical, or that he is biting the hand that feeds him at all. Him and that man he is married to have every right to think like parents and considering the new research on head injuries and football it's hard to argue with the evidence.

**moose10101** · 05-04-2012, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by NJRaven

i meant their opinions on the topic. i don't know why toomer felt the need to call him out. maybe he needed a ratings boost?

Winner. Controversy drives ratings.

**The Excellector** · 05-05-2012, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by ActualSpamBot

Except the odds of making it big versus the odds of getting a really bad head injury aren't remotely comparable. It's ludicrous to bank on making it big in football as a means of compensating for the eventual head trauma just like it's ludicrous to play the lotto to pay for your retirement.

That's what Warner did though. It does not take a seasoned surgeon to figure out that football is, has been and always will be a violent game. A violent game that Warner was willing to play to hit it big, which he did. He may have worked at a grocery store when he was down for a while (financially), but that doesn't mean that he didn't know the risk. There was already decades of examples to go off of, of players who suffered physically after their football careers. He could have stayed out, but chose to try and get back in. Now, it is thanks to that violent sport that he openly embraced that he can provide for his family.

Suddenly, it's not good enough for his kid, his kid can't play it and it's not worth the risk he took. I can understand his stance to a degree. However, what is he going to do when he tells his kid to follow his dreams and his kid's dream is to be like his father and play quarterback, or play football in general? He tells his kid that he can't play and his kid rebels, maybe, always chasing his dream anyway. It might not happen like that. The kid might actually be thankful for his father's intervention. Then again, the kid might not even want to play.