TT should do this to keep our players safe!

[Tony Oday]

In light of Big Ben trying to beat up a car with his face I think every team in the NFL should have company cars for their players that they are required to drive if they are employed.

Basically if you sign a contract with the GB packers you get this Escalade, Expedition, or big ole huge SUV/Truck. If you are on the Packers this is the only form of ground transportation that you are allowed to drive. You may substitute the vehicle for a limo if drive by a driver.

What would this cost a year? 1 million tops? this would be a nice incentive to be a packer and would protect our investment in the guys. Sure there is no 100% way to keep a player safe but man they invest millions into these guys and they are flying around on donorcycles!!!! CMON!!!!

What do you think? You make the roster you get a car to be safe in.

[MJZiggy]

See? and I thought you were going to suggest public flogging for all players caught riding without a helmet.

[AtlPackFan]

In light of Big Ben trying to beat up a car with his face I think every team in the NFL should have company cars for their players that they are required to drive if they are employed.

Basically if you sign a contract with the GB packers you get this Escalade, Expedition, or big ole huge SUV/Truck. If you are on the Packers this is the only form of ground transportation that you are allowed to drive. You may substitute the vehicle for a limo if drive by a driver.

What would this cost a year? 1 million tops? this would be a nice incentive to be a packer and would protect our investment in the guys. Sure there is no 100% way to keep a player safe but man they invest millions into these guys and they are flying around on donorcycles!!!! CMON!!!!

What do you think? You make the roster you get a car to be safe in.

You mean like a Suburban? Like the vehicle Derrick Thomas was driving in when he crashed and died for driving too fast in icy conditions without a seatbelt?! Are you going to equip all the cars with govenors so they can't speed? Are you going to hire drivers? What about the off-season. Are you going to tell them they can't hunt? Boat? Ski? What next?

Uhhhh....I vote no!!!

[BigDmoney]

Contracts are null and void if any of the safety "guidelines" aren't met. I love the fact that Winslow didn't receive his money (well, i guess he did get his signing bonus.). I don't feel sorry for him at all. If you were to give me 10 million dollars and say, now you can't skydive, ride motorcycles, bungi jump or anything like that i would say "put me in a damn nursing home...i don't give flying f&*k! just show me the money baby!"

[Tony Oday]

Like I said you cant be 100% safe it is impossible for sure. But hell ya Im saying regulate what they can do with their bodies because that is what they are being paid for.

There isnt a year that goes by where a guy isnt banged up because of knucklehead moves.

[Green Bud Packer]

Basically if you sign a contract with the GB packers you get this Escalade, Expedition, or big ole huge SUV/Truck. If you are on the Packers this is the only form of ground transportation that you are allowed to drive. You may substitute the vehicle for a limo if drive by a driver. It may not seem like but this is still the good ole U.S.of A.These types of ideals really chap my ass.

[Noodle]

I read in one of the stories that Big Ben had no limitations in his contract preventing him from riding a bike. I bet the front office is wishing they had that one back.

Also, have you been reading how Coach C and Terry Bradshaw had gotten on Ben to give up riding, but he wanted to keep doing it. Then he adds to it by refusing to wear a helment. And his excuse? Well, Penna had recently amended its helmet law to make them optional, so it must be ok to ride without one.

I rode without a helmet, and I thank God I escaped that behavior with my brains intact. It was stupid for a low life like me with no future -- it's criminally dumb for a guy like Big Ben with everything in front of him.

[AtlPackFan]

Contracts are null and void if any of the safety "guidelines" aren't met. I love the fact that Winslow didn't receive his money (well, i guess he did get his signing bonus.). I don't feel sorry for him at all. If you were to give me 10 million dollars and say, now you can't skydive, ride motorcycles, bungi jump or anything like that i would say "put me in a damn nursing home...i don't give flying f&*k! just show me the money baby!"

Your equating riding motorcycles with skydiving and bunji jumping??? Your kidding, right? What about snowmobiles? What about skiing? What about horseback riding? What about driving your tractor on your back 40? How about that riding lawnmower? Geez.

Sorry guys, IMO, this is over the top.

[AtlPackFan]

There isnt a year that goes by where a guy isnt banged up because of knucklehead moves.


Agreed! And you don't need a motorvehicle to make knucklehead moves.

[Tony Oday]

Atl here is a good question for you than:

You invest $50 million into a product and then said product goes out and make itself worth $50,000 wouldnt that tick you off? These are billion dollar companies and they need to protect their product from themselves!

And yes I would say that extreme sports are JUST like riding a donorcycle.

[BigDmoney]

well, atlpackfan, i'm very sorry i neglected all those other fine activities you brought up. For time constraints I ommited some. My point was that the contracts that have regulations on certain activities are a good idea. No one is talking about going so far as to limit backyard bbq's or something. But it's not unheard of to have certain limits (within reason) on these contracts. What is wrong with equating motorcycling with skydiving and bunji jumping. Are you saying it's any less dangerous?

[The Leaper]

If you invest $50M in someone, just put a little line in their contract stating that any injuries sustained from certain activities will result in the forfeiture of income for any time lost, including a percentage of the signing bonus.

It really isn't that hard to protect your investment. You don't go forcing everyone to drive an Escalade.

[Tony Oday]

Leaper I agree except think about this that $50 million you are investing is because it is a small market for the player. think you can just buy a franchise QB? nope. Some of these investments are not replaceable and that hurts your team for a long time.

Think if Brett Favre would have been hurt in his 3rd or 4th year? OUCH for the Pack...

[AtlPackFan]

Are you saying it's any less dangerous?

Yes...with proper instruction, proper equipment and common sense, motorcycling is a safe as any other form of open transportation/sports vehicles. Again, I have been riding for 34 years...no accidents.

Look, your Tony are right. The NFL is a private enterprize and they can protrect their investment any way they see fit but where does it stop? Where do you draw the line. How do you regulated what happened to Derrick Thomas?

[Tony Oday]

CAnt be 100% safe heck a plane could crash into your car then it almost doesnt matter what you drive. Im just saying that some of these kids need to be regulated.

[BigDmoney]

most people don't have your luck with the 34 years of safe riding. I alone know two people who have been killed in motorcycle accidents in the last 2 years and they were both very experienced riders. It's unrealistic to think that a 24 year old kid who has just been givin millions is going to be as safe of driver as you. I'm all for motorcycles, but I just think that these guys need to be told what they can and cannot to do a degree. For the majority of the people riding crotch-rockets, i would say it's much MORE dangerous that bunji Jumping or skydiving. Those accidents are for the most part rare.

[LaFours]

I agree with ATL. The minute you start regulating these types of activites you set a precedent that can then be used/manipulated by team officials (aka. Attorneys) in future situations (i.e. hunting, riding ATV's, parachuting, walking in Central Park past 7 p.m.) to prohibit/restrict the players from doing what they want. I also agree that NFL teams have a huge investment in their players (especially the good ones) but if they start putting all these clauses in their contracts based on the organization's fears of what might happen when they perform a certain activity you start into a slippery slope of limiting their freedom.

I for one am not a fan. If these guys can't take care of themselves who does the organization think they are to play the role of Mommy and Daddy?

[AtlPackFan]

Tony and BigDMoney,

We are never going to agree on the motorcycle issue so lets put that aside and we can agree to disagree.

I understand what you are saying...I just don't agree with regulating someone's off the field activities. I could agree with verbage in a contract that regulates HOW you participate in certain activities, but not the activity itself.

[woodbuck27]

You can't regulate everything in life as it's a free world within the laws.

If a professional athlete wants to act like a bonehead, then hit him/her where it hurts most. Take away the money, by instituting contracts that disallow careless practises with costly results, like Ben showed us today.

An athlete is expected to be in shape and that takes some time and common sense. Common sense also dictates that Big ben should be wearing a helmut, if he wants to enjoy a motorcycle.

[AtlPackFan]

You can't regulate everything in life as it's a free world within the laws.

If a professional athlete wants to act like a bonehead, then hit him/her where it hurts most. Take away the money, by instituting contracts that disallow careless practises with costly results, like Ben showed us today.

An athlete is expected to be in shape and that takes some time and common sense. Common sense also dictates that Big ben should be wearing a helmut, if he wants to enjoy a motorcycle.

Here, here! You regulate HOW the activity is participated in, NOT the activity. No safety instruction, no helmet, driving reckless = no money!

[Tony Oday]

Agreed Atl that is the truth ride the bike, dumb arses!!! you are worth millions!, but Saftey Saftey Saftey.

If I was an NFL team I would want to regulate the crap out of these guys and if they dont want the job with all of its restrictions Im sure they can go to the CFL and collect 100k in looney dollars...

[BigDmoney]

i can live with that. Helmets and a real safety class would probably have limited the Big-Ben an Winslow cases to a huge degree. i wish no ill-will on anybody and what happened to big-Ben is really scary and I prey he'll be fine. But i do get a big stupid grin on my face when I think about Kellen Winslow's stupid, novice-riding ass doing tricks in the parking lott and wasting a year of his life. He was punk in college (anyone remember him saying about 10 time "I'm a f'in soldier man!") and hopefully that accident woke him up.

[AtlPackFan]

i can live with that. Helmets and a real safety class would probably have limited the Big-Ben an Winslow cases to a huge degree. i wish no ill-will on anybody and what happened to big-Ben is really scary and I prey he'll be fine. But i do get a big stupid grin on my face when I think about Kellen Winslow's stupid, novice-riding ass doing tricks in the parking lott and wasting a year of his life. He was punk in college (anyone remember him saying about 10 time "I'm a f'in soldier man!") and hopefully that accident woke him up.

Agreed...Winslow was, and I would bet, still is a punk. I hope I am wrong but I seriously doubt the accident woke him up.

Helmet wouldn't have helped Ben's knees but it does sound as those Ben was on a bike that was way over his head with no instruction and no helmet. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Too bad TALENT doesn't necessarily equate to common sense!

[Homer Jay]

The bottom line is that you can't protect people from themselves. I'm all for teams protecting themselves in the contracts. There's an old song that goes "10 Feet Tall and Bullet Proof." Unfortunately, with millions in the bank and even more millions of fans, that's the feeling many of these young guys have. "Nothing will happen to me."

[the_idle_threat]

In light of Big Ben trying to beat up a car with his face I think every team in the NFL should have company cars for their players that they are required to drive if they are employed.

Basically if you sign a contract with the GB packers you get this Escalade, Expedition, or big ole huge SUV/Truck. If you are on the Packers this is the only form of ground transportation that you are allowed to drive. You may substitute the vehicle for a limo if drive by a driver.

What would this cost a year? 1 million tops? this would be a nice incentive to be a packer and would protect our investment in the guys. Sure there is no 100% way to keep a player safe but man they invest millions into these guys and they are flying around on donorcycles!!!! CMON!!!!

What do you think? You make the roster you get a car to be safe in.


For safety, they should all be issued Volvos. Their choice of pink or powder blue. Only half of the fleet will be powder blue, though, so some will have to take pink.

[GBRulz]

More players have had their careers end directly related to their job, not off the field activities.

Take the Pro Bowl for example. Who was that guy from the Patriots a few years back that hurt his knee playing volleyball while at the Pro Bowl? it ended his career.

You can't regulate off the field activities, but from a team standpoint, i see nothing wrong with putting certain clauses in contracts.

[BigDmoney]

the bike that he was riding was 1300 cc's. Now i don't know much about bikes, but I know that's huge. And the dealer that gave him the bike said it was popular among first time riders. What the F is first time rider (or even a rider with less thana ton of experience) doing riding that beast. cockiness man!

[bbbffl66]

Remeber Robin Yount and his Harley were big hits in Brewtown!!! You just can't legislate out stupidity.

[K-town]

More players have had their careers end directly related to their job, not off the field activities.

Take the Pro Bowl for example. Who was that guy from the Patriots a few years back that hurt his knee playing volleyball while at the Pro Bowl? it ended his career.

You can't regulate off the field activities, but from a team standpoint, i see nothing wrong with putting certain clauses in contracts.

Michele: I think you're referring to Robert Edwards of the Patriots. This was right after Curtis Martin bolted New England for the Jets. Edwards was a very promising rookie (over 1,000 yards rushing), and was invited to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. In a touch football game sanctioned (and televised, I believe) by the NFL, Edwards blew out his knee. In fact, I think he almost lost the leg. He came back a couple of years later, and played briefly for Miami and Detroit (?), but essentially, the touch football game in the sand was the end of his career.