Painkillers in the NFL: Nate Jackson on “hurt” vs “injured”
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- More than 1,000 former NFL players are addicted to painkillers. Many are without health insurance, or any semblance of a support system. In this VICE Sports Sitdown, former NFL tight end and writer Nate Jackson talks about hitting the streets for more painkillers to be able to keep playing and how the current concussion lawsuits pay less to retired players who are also dealing with substance abuse issues now.
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I was a defensive lineman for ASU and in my 4th big game I broke my elbow and needed 3 different surgery's. I'm 26 now and it still pops and hurts to this day.
I'm sorry, athlete's should be help deal with pain better by using less addiction drugs and better pain mgmt. Even after career
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Vice make this into a mini documentary, many stories worth telling
No one makes you put on a helmet, true. However, there needs to be care and after care of the people that you employ. It is a duty of care one has with an employee. The NFL during the last couple of decades not only has neglected this duty, but has actively tried to cover up research into concussions and degenerative brain desease and painkiller addiction. To talk about these issues and how they affect you does not mean you have a a victim mentality. On the contrary, talking about it despite people like you trying to undermine the message is a quite a brave thing to do.
@ryan mcguinness that doesn't mean you can exploit and misinform players for profit.
Kani X many former players bitching about career choice
ryan mcguinness omg you’re a douche lol
Sue the NFL.along with shanaya Jenkins Hernandez
Vice, this was phenomenal. Wish it was longer though.
With you man,excellent piece.
Yeah I agree. They actually contributed some decent journalism for once.
"Slow Getting Up" by Nate Jackson is 200+ pages of similar great stories & perspective in book form.
Nate Jackson's book "Slow Getting Up" is mandatory reading for anyone who loves football. Nate talks about the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of the game and his writing is filled with humor. Sometimes it's crude guy humor, but really, that's the shit I laughed the hardest at.
thanks for posting that I just finished the book 10 minutes ago and posted something very similar here before I saw your post
I loved this book so much. One of my favorite ever
It's a great book.
Awesome to see people speaking up and against the old school tradition
+Tyler Ferrell They're hypocritical snitches, they made the decision to play pro football, the consequences are what they knew they would be, they shouldn't bitch about their decisions
Polsen2013 please think before you speak.
@@drkviol8013 exactly
@@potatocouchx6990 Fuck off
@CIA football players go into NFL not expecting injuries? Fuck with me
These videos make me want to cry .Very powerful stuff. Props to Vice and these very well spoken athletes for talking about this.
+George Spare me your moralizing, The doctors ask them if they're "ready to go"? Clowns like this guy are snitches, and deserve no sympathy. Real G's take the pills, keep their mouth shut, and don't bitch afterwards cause they know what they're getting into for the love of the game
Respect for shooting this video. I had been looking for something like this. Athletes, pain killers and anti inflammatories before a big performance is like leaving your car in a bad neighbourhood with the alarm off. The damage is still there, and the pain signals are the body´s way of telling you STOP.
Looking at the last season it's very hard for a player to make it through the entire season. I even noticed near the end of the season and playoffs teams have become very fatigued mentally as well as physically. Gone was all that excitement and energy at the beginning of the season. As viewers we are unaware of how much pain these players go through. There was this dolphins player who had to sleep standing up because his leg was hurting too much. Almost died of bleeding in the muscle. Unforunately a rookie player needs his own personal physician or advisor guiding him through this. I think many ex football players could make a career of being advisors for new players to help them with finances, health and other issues.
Heartbreaking. Thanks for this Vice.
props to vice sports for doin these segments
It's time this side of football is cast into the light. Those brief moments of glory are often followed by a lifetime of pain for too many former NFL players.
Bottom line is that Jay Cutler sucks at hitting wide open receivers.
rrmond 😂😂😂😂
Word, he’s better at looking like he hates life on a daily basis. That face.
I'm from Chicago, and I don't have any idea of what your talking about.....
Frank Torres Also from the Chicago area. Happy to see him gone. Far away in Miami.
Smoking Jay don't care....
"Are you hurt or Are you injured?"
BOTH, COACH! !! !
Reminds me of Jay Cutler who blew out his knee in a game and the entire media and fans turned on him for not playing it out. I think he took a few more snaps and you could see his leg literally shaking as he put weight on it. People just don't get it.
I'm reading his book right now "Slow Getting Up" which has been a real eye opener on NFL team culture and the amount of injuries the athletes have to endure throughout their career. Any football fan should check it out.
Andrew Wilson It's the same way in Division 1 College football as well. The stories I have from my yrs in college would blow your mind. How do you think HC making a million+ at a min. and Assistants making 100's of thousands and some cases more than a million do to make sure they maintain their income. It's no longer a game after HS its a business as soon as you get to college.
@@58brandt obviously
Thats this guys book lol
🔥🔥
Yet when white people were doing it. They weren't out crying and bitching by the masses.
"gonna have to hit the streets for this one" haha me and my doc have similar conversations
@Terry Head sthu. You don't have to repost that bullshit everywhere. Your post doesn't absolve the NFL OF BLAME either
One thing i've noticed from nearly every former NFL player is that their posture is such that their spine is completely straight, and their neck looks so stiff that it is frozen in place. Whenever they look over to the side they have to rotate their whole body in that direction. Exceptions are non-contact players.
Usually we stiffen up our necks to prevent neck whiplash, the cause of majority of concussions.
SouthBeast LA
Lol, sticking to golf is a safe bet. I remember last season, it was Hawks vs Cardinals, and the Cards were losing by many scores, and Ryan Lindley kept passing to Larry fitzgerald over and over, but he wasn't skilled enough to ensure Larry yac room. So Kam Chancellor kept hitting Larry as hard as humanly possible, over and over again. Larry is crazy and got back up; a normal human being would have broken their back after the first hit.
Scott Clark
Interesting. by my junior year in high school I tried a bunch of neck strengthening exercises, and it helped a lot with taking hits and delivering hits. It helped me keep my balance, because every time I got hit my head wouldn't move at all, and the fluid in my ears would stay level.
I play hockey and my neck is stiff too. Probably for different reasons but could just be pulled muscle that wasn't treated
@Terry Head Yo stop regurgitating the same speel bitch
Just imagine the pain of tearing your hamstring off
Funny how he didn't blame Jay Cutler for that errant pass that drove the first nail into the coffin of his career.
Manning has done this with young receivers too. See Austin collie. Fucked that poor kid up and he wasn't a practice squad guy working his way up, collie was a high draft pick starter.
wish this were longer!
read his book, same stories but more
As a kid I was upset with my mom for only letting me play basketball & baseball but never football. As I get older I'm always amazed at just how many things she protected me from. I hope I can be a fraction of the parent she was.
I believe in you that you can be a great parent, best of luck 🤞 🙏❤️
It’s not inherently dangerous just when you downplay things and do it dangerously does it become dangerous
Thanks for your story Nate. Best of luck to you.
I remember this guy, my dad is a big broncos fan and I remember watching games in the early 2000’s where he would pop up every now and then. He wasn’t a perennial starter but he saw Action in most games, especially in his last 1-2 seasons in Denver. He caught some passes, scored acouple TD’s, played well on special teams and was overall just unassuming. He actually earned the starting nod midway during the 2008 season...played acouple games then injured his hamstring badly, which eventually lead to him being cut after McDaniels took over after the season. I didn’t know all this stuff about him, I know he was a WR his 4 years in college and balled out...set several D-3 conference & national records that stood for afew years in some cases. Came in undrafted only to be told to bulk up from 210 to 235 cus now your playing TE & even though you have elite NFL WR hands were gonna use you for blocking 85% of the time. Guy got a tough break but he made it the better part of a decade in a cutthroat tough league
He puts everything in perspective with an insiders mindset...I wouldn't trust the NFL if my life depended on it...Oh yea, the player's life does depend on it, particularly as it relates to hospital bills, and brain tissue.
I have this guy's book. Its quite good and well written
+lahguitarist yea i read scripts of it and it was very interesting it makes me not want to watch the nfl
I was surprised how well written. Really good.
And this is why I love Vice Sports. Very very interesting stuff!
I cant stop watching these! I've had no idea! This is terrible what they put these players through!
Thank you for your sincerity and forthrightness. Much goodness to you.
The dream job is the 2nd string punter
If you haven’t read his book. You absolutely should. It’s a fantastic insight on what it’s like to be in the NFL from the perspective of a 2nd to 3rd tier player.
People don't understand just how taxing American football is on the human body. Actual athletic ability is secondary when the opponent can tackle you to the ground. I don't care how big or tough you are. I'm 6"3, 215lbs and the one thing that still scares me to this day is getting tackled by someone my size. Kicks and punches are one thing, but tackles are like getting hit by a freight train. Really shakes you up, literally
I've heard Nate's book is great
his book is awesome
If you ever notice look at NFL linemens legs or arms. They always have knee braces and knee bands on for tendons or wrist braces. Or elbow sleeves. As I get old I notice more and more these warriors play every game every season hurt or injured.
He wrote a great book
I've read a lot of books on all topics and Nates stands out
This video has some very strong points
he makes football sound like the single last job that I would want
Its amazing seeing pros after they stop playing. They look like office nerds. I just watched the video with Kyle Turley. I've seen Nick Hardwick, the Chargers' ex-center. Looks like he's lost about 100lbs. What a difference...
Nate Jackson, Menlo College alum. Go Oaks.
RIP Keith McCants... I don't know how these guys do this... Wow.
feel bad for this guy. seems like a good dude. hope he made a shitload of money before he had to retire
2:04 "Where did he put it Nate?"
2:39 "Where did he finish Nate?"
Incredible interview. Thank you.
Same thing I got in high school in the 90s
Never does anyone mention the fact , that after yeas of abuse and injury, there are certain situations that will respond to nothing but pills/pain management. The minds of the able bodies, taylor the rules for those who have experienced something they have not. There is no care given to the pain and suffering a person is going through on a daily basis(and the simple tasks that may or may NOT be possible), and alternatives that do nothing for that, are toted as the "healthy" solution. Being in so much pain that you want to be dead daily is not healthy. At that point an "addiction" (or a DEPENDENCE) on pain killers IS the healthy choice. Our biggest problem at this time, is the average public being amazed at the amounts of painkillers that CAN be consumed by a person who has taken their bodies to levels of performance and suffering, that the layman cannot even fathom. There is a point where the body STOPS healing, and recovery in the traditional sense is no longer and option.
Damn nate jackson lost a lot of muscle mass , he used to be 235 lbs
Too injured to lift weights
Michael Laguna
He got hit pretty bad a few times in the league
I think the medicine he was taking may have altered his body
Michael Laguna - He is not taking anabolic steroids any longer.
Sad shit bro
@@ogdocvato 235 on his frame is perfectly believable without roids. Hes probably still at the very least 165, if not 170-180. pills like this wont change your ability to gain or retain muscle mass, at least not like that. Its due to his job not being based around being a world class athlete anymore.
Nate tells these stories in his book "Slow Getting Up" which is a must read.
I started playing football this year, and I know what he means about the "firecracker" I hated at first but I started rocking runningbacks and it felt really good.
I think a lot of people feel that these NFL players make millions so who cares. Just remember that if you're name isn't Tom Brady, the vast majority will make a couple hundred thousand for 5-10 years then you retire. That's barely a millionaire
wrong. the MINIMUM salary in the NFL is around 600K per year. That's the BARE MINIMUM. and by year 2, that player's salary automatically scales up to about 750K. By year 3 of his rookie deal, he is making about a million. again, that's the low guy on totem pole. so, no, you're incorrect.
Silly Goose Yeah, if you play for 6-10 years at the very minimum contract you’ll scrounge up a couple million at least.
@@SillyGoose2024 I have friends who played in the league. Most never see that full contract. These deals aren't guaranteed. And can be restructured any time management calls you upstairs.
@@phillipisayev1273 scrounge???? Your a fucking moron. If I had a million I could make that last decades I'd save most. These Meatheads in the NFL are clueless with money management. You act like a million is worth slightly above minimum wage. Society is in love with professional athletes it's kind of sick how pathetic you kids are.
The average NFL career is less than four years. Imagine if you get a chronic injury which stops you doing physical work and then a brain injury which stops you doing mental work. You're paying for doctors and supporting your kids as they prepare for college. You'll burn through that million before you're 50, then your CTE starts kicking in. Is that really a good life?
The NFL is now seeing the results of the game that owners don’t give a f’k about them. For them it’s all about the investment. Ratings will continue to slide bc we see the game for what it really is away from the field. This is blood sacrifice the money they get paid doesn’t make up for the long term affects of playing the game. A lot of those guys come from poverty stricken environments. So they feel they have no other options.
So sad but very true.
Shit is crazy! Thanks for posting this vice sports
Love these.
Same issue with those that served in the Military Combat Arms. Encourages to hide injury instead of dealing with it.
I ask my kids this same question all the time. Different connotations, but still the same.
This is why more and more great athletes are choosing basketball or baseball. It just makes sense.
Reading Nate's autobiography at the moment, it's really fascinating stuff. It's also great that there are some ex-players out there that really speak their mind and shed light on the true nature of the sport (not just the NFL but pretty much all professional sports).
It's not only football players who have had doctors turn them into addicts but it's everyday people like myself. I started having back issues and went to my now retired family doctor who ordered a MRI scan and sent me home with 150 1000mg vicodin and told me to come back the following month. I went back to see him and he said that I had a couple herniated disc and that they didn't require surgery but just keep taking the pain meds and when I ran out he would give me more here it is going on 11 years now and ive had major back surgery and had my shoulder rebuilt twice and I'm a full blown addict. By the time I knew how dangerous these pills were it was too late however ive came clean about how extreme my addiction is with my wife and we've got a plan starting January 1st 2020 and I'm getting rid of these pills and not going to take another ever again because I'd much rather be able to feel the pain than be a numb zombie like I currently am
Sad stories 😢
I read his book .... it should be a must read for football players lucky enough to get a scholarship... he pretty much breaks the whole thing down ... it’s a good read too
That is so horrible I am sorry for the NFL players
my highschool coach would ask us that lol
The only time I've heard the "are you hurt or are you injured?" Statement was in the movie G.I.Jane. the naval officers would ask the grunts that
First heard it in highschool football
It was in the movie "the program" too.
Just read "Slow Getting Up; A Story of NFL Survival from the Bottom of the Pile" by Nate Jackson and it was one of the best athlete written books I have ever read. If you like how Nates talking here the book is 200+ pages of same good shit. Thanks Nate!!!!!
This guy said it best.
The NFL is no different than the Roman coliseums. The entire format from top to bottom mimics how gladiators were used.
I played football for 3 years in high school. We weren't supposed to use our helmets to ram other people in the helmet but about half of us did quite often. Even then players were using painkillers and steroids.
I used antiinflammatory drugs to deal with a severe ankle sprain during a vacation. The ankle never healed properly because I kept walking on it. JUST IMAGINE WHAT THESE GUYS HAVE DONE TO THEIR BODIES AND BRAINS! FORGET THAT CRAP!
Bravo.
13 years
I remember hearing that exact are you hurt or injured thing from my old high school coach...such a shame that something like that is embedded in the sport and handed down to al levels of football
+megabarf20 There is a big difference between being hurt or injured. He was probably making sure you didn't actually tear or break anything. In high school, your coach actually cares about you.
Nate, Loved you're audiobook
I didn't know Santa played football
how is crashing your head into someone else's like a stimulant. ppl are crazy
Adrenaline is like a drug
FUMBLE!!!!
The NFL needs to be seen as a stop on your journey not an end all be all holy grail. Something used to set them up for their future life... injuries need to be taken seriously...shame on the nfl
I have played football for 6 years now. I'm in my first year of college football and I got a concussion first week of training camp. Every since I started every injury I would be asked hurt or injured? I don't want these things to happen to me.
Dang. What position?
already took slight brain damage bro
funny how this vides garners much sympathy in the comment section, but the video with Keith McCants (a black guy) speaking about the same exact thing, people in the comment section are saying its his own fault. wonder why
Bout 4 years late but we know why
This is more of a social issue. Doctors are used to prescribing painkillers to help players keep their careers. This manhood stereotype reminds me of when an NFL player died from not drinking water because he was afraid of being slandered as being weak. Most men are not strong in my opinion and when you put in macho ism and pride in that mix it leads to a lot of destructive behaviors.
+Kollin011 The players choose to take them, the players know what they're getting into and they cant complain about injuries, if they don't want to play, someone else gladly will
I'm sure Nate could've worked at Kroger if he wanted to but he choose football
I play high school football and my coaches say if your injured God won't let you up ,if your hurt your fine.
Hurt , you can play injured means DL
4:10 “That bubble POPS now it’s time to find out who this 30 year old man is gonna BLAME” great new world we got here. 😂
Why are these guys fine mentioning all the painkillers and corticosteroids they used, but totally silent about all anabolic steroids they used?
social media
Toradol is a great drug, poorly administered here. It is in the same class as Aleve which also has all the same risks at a higher dose. Typically to avoid GI bleeding or renal failure you don't give it to them if they have elevated creatinine (a surrogate of sorts for kidney function) or if you have to, pre-hydrate them first with IV fluids. You also don't give so much to remove pain completely, the purpose of all pain medication is to "take the edge off". When you aim for pain-free you get into dosing trouble with side effects and even addiction when it's opioids you're dealing with.
I’m glad dude is 👌 ok
Oh shit, that was a textbook hospital pass right there at 3:02, but knowing about the drug problems in the NFL, I say we should rename them to rehab passes.
some of the info in this vid seems to go against what was said in marcellus's vid.
Cutler. Of course
Wow...
He said scooby doo band aid
Fact : Tordol is one of the only non habitual pains meds out there. If your in recovery thats what ya ask for if in an emergency in the hospital. Broken bones and ao on. Back pain its good for definately.
Slow Getting Up.
North Dallas Forty
Are you hurt or are you injured stays with me as someone who did manual labour with a high injury rate. Fucked my wrist up for life becuaes I thought I was just hurt nah I was injured
I think he wrote a book about this
Explains why barry sanders and Calvin Johnson got their money and got out.
Bloodsports The thirst The obsession the reality. Best of luck. Fortunately, you have intellectual prowess
3:04
Cleveland Browns Linebacker Willie Mcginest hits Broncos WR Jackson in the head as Jackson leaps for a catch
Damn he got em pretty bad 😱😱
He looks nothing like a wr he looks like a dad
Adam Smith he was a Tight End Dipshit and he's been retired for a while
@@bigcatsjags6362 relax.
thats why they get the big buckS!
Tellin ya, the days are numbered for professional football
Watched a lot of your videos and it is quite disheartening for me. It has been my dream to play but watching the aftermath of the sport is quite discouraging. I was born in '94 and grew up watching the broncos play. I loved it. Since then i grew up wanting to be like Shannon Sharpe, Steve Atwater, Rod Smith, Champ Bailey and my childhood sports idol, Terrell Davis. My parents put me in soccer when i was six and i always had to have the number 30 as my jersey, if i couldn't, it had to have a 3 in it. From there i started playing soccer, basketball, track and football at the same time (well 2-3 sports at the same time). In high school i was an all around, multipurpose player. I played any secondary position such as a safety and a corner-back and on offense i played as a running-back and a wide receiver. During those years i played i did everything i could to try and put up the same stats as Terrell Davis, Rod Smith and the Champ. I dreamed of playing for the Broncos and being their #1 Go-To Running back and be the Terrell Davis of this era. I still do. I graduated high school in 2012 with 3 undefeated championships with my high school in football and basketball and 2 undefeated in soccer. I can only thank my teammates and coaches for those because I had the best group that i could've asked for, they were all great players and great friends who respected everyone in school and out. Since then i have been playing semi pro here in NM as a running back and cornerback. I understood that with football there would be no other career i could be in to utilize those skills so i got my associates in drafting and also am working on my bachelors in Cybersecurity. After watching some of these videos I'm on the fence with trying to go Pro. I love the sport and love what i do but I'm not sure i want to sacrifice my health and have more problems than i already have in 20 years. (I've broken my back and foot and also have torn cartilage in both of my shoulders due to sports)
unless you feel like having Alzheimer's at 50. its not worth it.
or you can get in and get out. Go, play 1 season. You lived your dream and then hang em' up. Get and education. Be safe. Good luck.
NrG r
Any very high paying job has trade offs and costs. Not saying it's ok but, every job paying hundreds of thousands (for low end guys) or millions will take massive sacrifices