Yesterday former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor had himself a bit of a Twitter rant going on. In said rant, Taylor took the NFL to task following a recent visit to his doctor.
It came across as him having a clear grudge against the league and the doctors that he entrusted his health to during his playing days. How could one not take a comment like this as anything other than holding a grudge?
Visited Chicago last week for full Ortho exam. Took 11 MRIs and 12 X-rays. Got results yesterday. Somehow I played career with fractured->
— Fred Taylor (@FredTaylorMade) August 31, 2016
clavicle, 2 partially torn labrum, one in each shoulder. I'm Appalled! I was never told this as a player. Oversight? Or BS!
— Fred Taylor (@FredTaylorMade) August 31, 2016
I've always gotten a sensation n my shoulders but I though it was fatigue. All these years have passd and now I discover my shoulders jackd
— Fred Taylor (@FredTaylorMade) August 31, 2016
Apparently we all got it dead wrong, as Taylor told ESPN in an exclusive interview that it was more about making changes to better help players post-career and nothing to do with a grudge over care that he received while in the league.
“This is more of an attempt to see things be avoided. Guys before me improved the game. Guys before me improved the healthcare. The league is great. They have a lot of benefits for us, a lot of resources. I salute them for what they’ve done, but at the same time there’s other things that could be done.
“I’m not saying league screwed me and did this. I never said that and I’m not looking for money. I’m not looking for a fight. How can we make this better?”
Taylor remains one of the most popular Jaguar players of all-time, their first round draft choice out of Florida in 1998 and currently, a pregame analyst.
His biggest concern are the unaddressed issues of insurance for players post-career and those injuries that are missed during a long career in the NFL as well.
As he points out, once the playing days are over often times retired players are forced with the option of short-term COBRA insurance or insanely high premiums for care should no one else in the family (if married) have insurance available.
Despite all the struggles and injuries he is still dealing with in retirement, Taylor said he would do it all over again. To be accurate, he said he would do it “100 times over,” and threw in his wish for a pawn shop for body parts so that he could continue to play the game.
While we are sure he was kidding about the pawn shop idea, Taylor clearly cares about the game and the league in general. Otherwise, why try to bring light to issues facing players once they reach retirement?
[ESPN]
