Byron Jones caused quite a stir with a Twitter statement that put the topic of health back on the agenda. The NFL needs more of this relentless openness. One comment.

The words are harsh. Forceful. Warning. Painful. There are only two tweets, but they unfold their full effect very quickly.

Emotional direct hits.

The context is symbolic, a perfect symbiosis of appearance and reality. Here is the NFL, which wanted to celebrate an old hero of the talent show at the start of this year’s Combine and posted a video in his honour on Instagram.

There Byron Jones, the old hero, who then dug out an old tweet from the NFL about him to make two statements on Twitter. Because “Mr Broad Jump”, as he was known, managed a distance of 3.74 metres from a standing start back then.

Byron Jones can no longer run and jump

Today’s record. However, he “cannot run or jump because of the injuries I have sustained in this sport”. And that’s just eight years after his historic jump. At 30.

Much has changed in 8 years. Today I can’t run or jump because of my injuries sustained playing this game. DO NOT take the pills they give you. DO NOT take the injections they give you. If you absolutely must, consult an outside doctor to learn the long-term implications. https://t.co/g5TTHDQGSY

– Byron Jones (@TheByronJones) February 25, 2023

Therefore he warns, “DO NOT take the pills they give you. DO NOT take the injections they give you,” Jones further wrote: “If you absolutely must, consult an outside doctor to learn the long-term effects.”

All-round attack, you might call it, billing too. Critics could also accuse him of back-pedalling, a verbal foul, and malicious tongues could even accuse him of unnecessary whining. He earned his money well, and the fact that the full-contact sport of football is associated with health risks should not have been news to him either.

But statements like Jones’ are worth their weight in gold.

Because his isn’t bitter, below the belt or unobjective, but an important reminder of what life in the NFL can be like away from the spotlight and the hero stories.

“Some people fight through it. Some don’t. “

These are honest words about the dangers that are real and not uncommon, about happenings behind the scenes and the possible consequences that fans, players, but perhaps also those in charge are not always aware of.

Or they don’t care. Which is what his statement implies.

In the wake of the Jones tweets, statements made by position coach Sam Madison in January also made the rounds. “He could have helped,” Madison said, according to the Miami Herald. “Injuries happen. Some guys fight through it. Some don’t. “

Too soft for the tough NFL business?

The NFL always insists that health is the highest good, but it has not always been sustainably suspect in the past of being extremely intense and preventive about player welfare. As recently as January, Cincinnati Bengals safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest after a hard hit and had to be resuscitated on the field. With success. That the NFL was apparently discussing a continuation of play at the time says a lot about priorities.

NFL: Still a lot of room for improvement

A lot of good things have happened in terms of concussions, too, but also very slowly. The Tua Tagovailoa case has also shown that there is still room for improvement even in a field the league has been working on for years.

The Tua case has also revealed the need to step on the toes of those responsible, but also to protect the players themselves in this system where billions are at stake. Above all from themselves.

Transparency is essential for this, as is honesty and unsparing openness. Even if the words are hard and painful. But the focus must be even more on health.

And permanently. And not just after emotional tweets.