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The Fujitas - "The game that used and abused them"

Quote:

The Wish of an NFL Wife

by Jaclyn Fujita

I am a pro football player's wife amd my husband has been knocking heads for the last 20+ years. We choose this path. The burden—whatever it may be—rests on our shoulders. This was the dream we decided to chase.

Honestly, though, I don't know that we were fully aware of the ultimate reality of the National Football League. We learned the hard way that he would work his ass into the ground, playing every defensive down and special teams, and would be the lowest paid man on the roster. That he would experience multiple concussions, but remain on the field. That he would suffer full ligament tears and shouldn't have been walking, but team doctors would tell him it was a "minor sprain" and should still play. That even though you have given your heart and soul to a team, they can easily replace you with a rookie who has never played in the NFL before.

My husband could have lost his life to a staph infection. His NFL doctors and trainers were heating/icing/stemming his knee for a bursa-sac rupture and ignoring all the major signs of infection, while his body was screaming that something else must be wrong. He ended up in an emergency operation weeks after symptoms began. Following five nights in hospital isolation and many weeks beating back the infection, he was ready to play for the city we love and a team we built our life around. He would help them win the coveted Super Bowl Championship. Less than a month later he would be gone, feeling completely expendable and replaceable as if his blood, sweat and tears did not matter.

Now I know many don't want to hear our complaints: we made our bed and now we have to lie in it. But what about the pro football players of tomorrow who have no idea what they are stepping into? Boys who are playing football because they love it and have found something they are really good at? They see the pride on their family's faces every time they strap on that helmet, but these young men have no idea of the pain they will endure or the true uncertainty of their career choice. They have no idea how long they will work or when their bodies will say "no" to the abuse. What these men need to know is that as they step on the field and risk major injury—while generating billions of dollars for this industry—the billionaires who write the checks are not looking out for them. They need to know that they are going to be lied to. They need to know that when they suffer an injury they will be told they should buck up and play.

But the day will come when they decide to walk away from the sport they played for the last 20 years of their lives. The sport which taught them to play through pain, to never complain, to never stop, to yell, to scream, to hit, to fight, to destroy the man in front of them, to work until they puke, to lay their body on the line every Sunday and just hope that they walk off that field and aren't carried. That day will come when they leave this game—the game that used them and abused them, yet the game they loved so passionately.

Each man will walk away thinking that if his knees are to give out, hopefully it happens in the next 5 years before his health coverage expires. And if he has to cover himself with money from his own pocket, he will hope it doesn't break him. Insurance companies aren't looking to cover the 10-year veteran pro football player with the pounding migraines and ALS or severe depression that could be lurking just around the corner. His knees and back are sure to give out faster than the average person, and he may lose his mind due to all the concussions.

And here they are, simply asking the men who profit from their work, to PLEASE look after their health, as they should have done throughout their career. They ask this so that someday, the young boy who chooses this path knows he will be protected the way he deserves. So his mother, wife, or child will know that even though that hit looks awful, there is someone on the sideline with his best interests at heart. So future NFL wives who watch their husbands unable to get out of a chair on a Tuesday, yet still strap it come Sunday, will be taken care of. So the man who is sacrificing his body and mind for the thrill of the game can be confident that his work will not go unnoticed. He will not be forgotten. He will not go unprotected. He will have earned the right to be taken care of for life. He will be kept safe from his damaged body and mind. For it was those bodies and minds of 53 men on 32 teams who every year generate billions of dollars for this industry. They deserve to be cared about.

That is my wish for tomorrow's boys, men, mothers, fathers, and wives who will build their lives around this American pastime. They will have something when their money runs out. And when their aches and pains become unbearable, they will have the comfort of knowing that their blood, sweat and tears will carry them for the rest of their lives. They did not sacrifice their health and well-being for nothing. They will not be forgotten.

http://www.thenation...1/wish-nfl-wife

Wow, I certainly wish I could CHOOSE to be abused like that.

I thought the Fujita's were all about CHOICE.

Did Scotty not have a CHOICE? I Guess the PRO LIFE has them a bit bitter nowadays. If only they'd had a CHOICE in the matter.

What a couple of hypocrites. I'm so glad that moron's gone.

I don't care lady. My Daddy was a soldier. That "scotty" hurt hims wittle knee, well, I just don't give a damn. How 'bout that?

Somebody pimp-slap that ho. :brood:

If my wife wrote that I would leave her.

More attempt for player sympathy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beastmode (Post 290547)

If my wife wrote that I would leave her.

Yep

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Originally Posted by jeanpierre (Post 290554)

Yep

Naw, I wouldn't leave her. I put her on financial restriction and stop her from going to the mall or the latte shop or from getting her hair and nails done for the entire summer. That'd shut her the hell up...and I'd still be with her to watch her suffer...

Cause I'm the Honey Badger, and I don't give a F*C*

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaclyn Fujita

This was the dream we decided to chase.

"We" decided to chase, yes, I'm sure you were a big part of it. Another woman convinced that her sitting at home and breeding is just as crucial and important as the millions of dollars her husband makes by busting his ass.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaclyn Fujita

He would help them win the coveted Super Bowl Championship. Less than a month later he would be gone, feeling completely expendable and replaceable as if his blood, sweat and tears did not matter.

Huh? We didn't cut him, we just didn't offer him the huge salary that the Browns did, and he decided to take the money and run. I don't blame him for doing that, but I can't see how you can vilify the Saints for that... Unless you are a stupid *****.

This disgusts me.

Snap outta your little privileged world Ms. Priss - there are REAL problems in this world.

It is very hard for me to feel sorry for theses guys.

I am a 18 year Army Vet. Just a list of my medical issues.

Right knee: 80% cartalidge GONE. Begining stages of athritus.
Left knee: bone grinding on bone. Arthritus.

Spine: L3, L4 and L5 disk all press on my syatic nerve.
Back muscle: Tore the muscle that goes from your butt to your middle back, darn near in half.

Right and Left Shoulders: both need rotator surgury.

I can't play with my kids too long because something is going to start hurting. The most pain is trying to get out of bed in the morning. I am only 38 years old.

Now, my wife doesn't blame the Army. She and I, understand that it's just part of the job. Some may say, "Well, you get doctors care when you retire". Yes, I do. Until I am dead and in the grave. However, I, just like every Soldier out there; doesn't make $150,000 to $1 million plus a year.

So, dear Ms Fujita...... stop your whining. Stop living like you have a money tree and oh yeah.....Scott left US for MORE MONEY! Sorry all he got from the New Orleans Saints was the megar honor of being a SuperBowl Champion. (MiddleFinger)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SapperSaint (Post 290585)

I can't play with my kids too long because something is going to start hurting. The most pain is trying to get out of bed in the morning. I am only 38 years old.

whoa, sapper, i had not idea you were that young. wow. I got sciatica, and that sh** hurts.

Obviously, some are going to feel the need to reach out for public sympathy. This is the dumbest thing they could possibly do, and it would play straight into the hands of the owners.

At this point, I already sympathize with the average player. I know what its like to run till you puke, to break bones, and to study and work out and practice, and not get enough sleep. I know what its like to deal with pain every day. I'm 46. At this point, I like the players, they're still my heroes, and I'm willing to ignore whatever happens in this labor deal, so I can continue to like them. (This is your season ticket holder talking.)

I also sympathize with Tom Benson. I know what its like to be poor. I know what its like to sweep floors, and do menial work all hours of the day, trying to make something of yourself. Nobody handed this guy a silver spoon, and he didnt just wake up with a money tree in his yard. He worked his a** off. And then he invested in the NFL scheme.

Players, I dont know how much you make, and I dont care. I do care that your future is secure, and that you will be taken care of when you're old, although the responsibility for that is actually yours. I spend a lot of money to watch you play, a lot of time following the game, and buy lots of stuff, which in turn pays you. Im not your boss, and I dont even consider myself a "customer," but you are, in fact, rich, because of people like me. Because we care. Ask minor league hockey players if its good that people care.

The dumbest thing you can do is anything that will villify EITHER side in this. The propaganda you preach will outlast the dispute itselt, and serve only to damage the game as a whole.

The smartest thing you can do is smile and STFU. At this point, you're on top. Even if you lose this, you're still gonna win. Dont blow it.

And Honeybadger dont give a sh**.