SUPER BOWL XXVIII DAILY REPORT : Linemen Risk Highest Price for Bulking Up to Play
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The NFL Players Assn. had good news for most players Thursday--but bad news for linemen.
A recent study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health on the mortality rate of NFL players--the first study of its kind--revealed that their death rate matched that of the general population.
The study showed that the average football player will live at least 72 years, which is also the national average.
That is a marked difference from the previously held--but unproven--belief that the average NFL player will be dead by 53.
NIOSH is a government agency and received no fee from the players’ union.
“We don’t have to worry anymore about guys hearing that statistic and running for the window,” said Gene Upshaw, executive director of the union. “It’s great news indeed that NFL players live as long as anybody else.”
The same study, however, showed that linemen have a 52% higher chance of dying of heart disease than the average person. They also face triple the risk of getting heart disease.
That would seem logical when one considers the average size of an NFL lineman. No studies have been done comparing 300-pound linemen to 300-pound persons in other walks of life.
“Anyone considering bulking up to play football should consider the real risk of heart disease,” said Dr. Sherry Baron, director of the study.
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According to the NFLPA, 409 players will become unrestricted free agents on Feb. 17.
Those are players who have total freedom of movement, unless their teams designate them as franchise or transition players.
The top free agent in the Southland is Raider wide receiver Tim Brown. But despite his desire to leave, he will have to stay if owner Al Davis names him a franchise player, as expected.
The Raiders could also lose linemen Max Montoya and Don Mosebar and tight end Ethan Horton.
The Rams’ top unrestricted free agents are receiver Henry Ellard, tackle Jackie Slater and safeties Pat Terrell and Michael Stewart.
Under the new free-agency rules last year, the average NFL salary increased 51%, to $737,850.
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