NFL premier cornerback, Byron Jones, abruptly retired from his career on Saturday before sending out an ominous warning about injections.
Jones, a former All-Pro and Pro Bowler, announced he could no longer “run or jump” and appeared to suggest stepping away from the game for good.
“Much has changed in 8 years,” Jones tweeted out, quoting a 2015 tweet that highlighted how he had become a shadow of his former athletic self.
“Today I can’t run or jump because of my injuries sustained playing this game,” Jones added.
Then the NFL star dropped the warning about injections:
“DO NOT take the pills they give. DO NOT take the injections they give you,” he said.
“If you absolutely must, consult an outside doctor to learn the long-term implications,” he added.
It appears Jones is calling out the NFL‘s approach to injury management, due to the fact he missed the entire 2022 season for the Dolphins because of injury.
“It was an honor and privilege to play in the NFL but it came at a regrettable cost I did not foresee,” Jones said.
“In my opinion, no amount of professional success or financial gain is worth avoidable chronic pain and disabilities. Godspeed to the draft class of 2023.”
In February, a group of 10 former NFL players filed a lawsuit accusing the NFL of legal violations in denying disability benefits.
Yahoo reported that the plaintiffs claim football left them with lingering physical injuries. Some of the former players also say that cognitive injuries from the game continue to complicate their lives. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL Disability Board are named as defendants.
The suit further alleges that doctors who examine players have a financial interest in denying claims to ensure future referrals from the program.
Chris Seeger, a lawyer who served as class counsel in the separate $1 billion settlement of NFL concussion, said: “They’re a small fraction of the players who have been wronged by the NFL’s disability plan,” Seeger said. “These former players deserve far more from an organization worth billions of dollars than a sham process in which there’s no chance of success.”
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