runrudirun Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3][b] Quote[/b][/size][/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3][background=rgb(247, 247, 247)] Veteran guard [url="http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/2843/jacob-bell"]Jacob Bell[/url] has retired from the NFL, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to PFT. [b]Per the source, Bell simply lost the desire to play. He has earned plenty of money over the years, and he decided that the time had come to pursue other interests.[/b] Bell, 31, [url="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/06/bengals-bag-jacob-bell/"]signed with the Bengals[/url] on April 6,[color=#ff0000] after four years with the Rams. He spent four seasons before that in St. Louis.[/color] The news explains Cincinnati’s decision to claim [url="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/08/bengals-claim-a-pair-off-waivers/"]guard Chris Riley on waivers[/url] from the Buccaneers. The Bengals also selected guard [url="http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/7523/kevin-zeitler"]Kevin Zeitler[/url] in the first round of the 2012 draft.[/background][/size][/font][/color] lol.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 [list] [*] [url="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/09/risk-of-head-trauma-led-to-jacob-bells-retirement/"]Risk of head trauma contributed to Jacob Bell’s retirement[/url] [/list] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turningpoint Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='Oldcat' timestamp='1336517684' post='1129548'] Two draft picks from the Raiders, coming up! [/quote] I don't get this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengals1181 Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='turningpoint' timestamp='1336662090' post='1129950'] I don't get this? [/quote] the last player to retire as a bengal netted the bengals two draft picks from the raiders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The PatternMaster Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Bell wouldn't have been starting so his risk of injury would've have been that great, but if the guy doesn't the desire to go out there and give it his all he should do what Bell did and call it quits. I think Bell did the right thing, he's not going to waste his or the Bengals time. Plus it saves him the embaressment of being cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengals1181 Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 [b] Jacob Bell walks away from NFL to raise player health awareness[/b] Jacob Bell answered the phone and listened to my introduction. I tell him I'm working on a story for NFL.com. "Hmmmm," he said. "Ian Rapoport. I've heard of you before." Bell, the eight-year starting left guard, paused. I could sense his smile on the other end of the line. "Have you heard of me before?" Bell asked. "More so lately," I responded. Based on our 15-minute conversation on the day Bell's retirement from the NFL became official, we haven't heard the last of him. Don't be surprised if Bell looms larger in retirement than he did as a player, even though he started 100 games for the Tennessee Titans and St. Louis Rams. No longer is Bell, as he said, "one of the men behind the mask." It all changed when Bell, who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals just last month, used the recent suicide of NFL legendary linebacker Junior Seau as the impetus to walk away from the game while he still could. He became the first player to change his life based on the assumption that if he didn't, football would. I had barely heard of Bell, a 2004 fifth-round pick from Miami (Ohio), before Tuesday. Now, he'll forever be the player who hung up his cleats because of his own health concerns following Seau's tragic death. He is embracing his newfound megaphone to make life after football better for those who participate. "Man, I couldn't be happier about it," Bell said. "For me, it's something I have to do. It's a platform that needs to be talked about." Bell says he feels great. At 31 years old, he is moving fine, and his mind is clear. He isn't sure how many concussions he had, but he reports no physical ailments. But as someone who has often reached out to retired players, Bell knows that might not last forever. Bell also knows the stakes and realities of the sport he still loves. "It's a blessing to be able to retire and walk away on my own instead of being forced out of it," Bell said. "Think about what the guys are going through. Everybody wants to make the money, but what are you really sacrificing? If they tell you we're going to take your brain and whack it with a baseball bat, but we'll give you a couple million bucks, how many people would really do that? … I compare us to modern-day gladiators. We're giving our lives to the game of football for a price." Having spent time over the years doing research on his potential post-career health status, the thoughtful Bell said it's time to put it out in the open. He believes it's time to raise awareness for a game that is, in his mind, too slowly embracing the health concerns for its players. "This is too big of an issue to be brushed under the rug," Bell said. "What players are really coming out and letting people know the real deal? Now that I'm retired maybe it's easier for me to come out and speak. I think it's what I need to do. I don't see it ending any time soon." Bell isn't riding off into the sunset. He's riding into the sun. Bell believes the NFL's recent rule changes for making the game safer will help, but he also offered a few suggestions for how the league could help even more: 1. Make concussion awareness part of the rookie symposium. Bell recalls taking part in the annual rookie symposium in 2004, hearing repeated warnings about protecting his finances. "Everything revolves around the money," Bell said. That was helpful. But concussion awareness wasn't part of it. Bell thinks it should be. "They need to bring a panel of doctors into the rookie symposium and say, 'Hey, this is what we found, this is the research, this is what you all need to be aware of," Bell said. "I have to go out of my way, on my own, to find out (about brain health issues). Not through the NFL, [but] through retired players, through friends and my own contacts to find out what I can do for myself. That's not good enough." League spokesman Greg Aiello said the agenda for the 2012 edition of the rookie symposium is still being formulated. "We expect health and safety matters to be included," Aiello said. 2. Have players begin their careers with a brain scan. The NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis features a thorough medical examination for the players. Their entire bodies are checked to give teams a complete report on their health. It can sometimes prove positive. That's where New England Patriots tackle Marcus Cannon learned he had cancer, and he sought immediate treatment. Bell would like the process to go a step further. "We have all these medical records of all these players from the combine, but how many of these players have gotten brain scans?" Bell asked. "How many of them know what their brains look like? Let's go get all that done, get the imaging done from Day 1." A key part of Bell's idea is that the results would have to be kept away from team executives who may decide a player's future based on the scans. He'd like the information to be for the player's eyes only. That may not be feasible, but it's the goal. 3. Involve psychologists heavily in the education. It is not yet known if Seau was seeing a psychologist or counselor for the demons he battled. It is not yet known if that would have changed anything. But Bell wants to make it mandatory that each player meet with a psychologist upon entering the league. Not everyone will continue such meetings. But it's a way of forcing players to begin a healing process they might not happen otherwise. Bell believes activities to increase brain function would help -- puzzles, learning a language, taking vitamins. But, as he said, "It would really help to have a personal relationship with a doctor. … The reality is, it's a traumatic experience for your brain when you're playing the game of football. But we can definitely help these players." Follow Ian Rapoport on Twitter @rapsheet [url="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d828ff4e0/article/jacob-bell-walks-away-from-nfl-to-raise-player-health-awareness?module=HP11_content_stream"]http://www.nfl.com/n..._content_stream[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scharm Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Bell's suggestions are wonderful. Take the expense of doing that out of the pool of money available to the players and see how important it is to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewdog Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 I still want to know why Bell even signed a contract with the Bengals in the first place, especially so late in free agency. I'm wondering if the drafting of Zeitler had more to do with his sudden retirement than the thought of his health in the future. He suddenly went from possible starter to journeyman backup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The PatternMaster Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='Bengals1181' timestamp='1336673839' post='1130009'] [b] Jacob Bell walks away from NFL to raise player health awareness[/b] Jacob Bell answered the phone and listened to my introduction. I tell him I'm working on a story for NFL.com. "Hmmmm," he said. "Ian Rapoport. I've heard of you before." Bell, the eight-year starting left guard, paused. I could sense his smile on the other end of the line. "Have you heard of me before?" Bell asked. "More so lately," I responded. Based on our 15-minute conversation on the day Bell's retirement from the NFL became official, we haven't heard the last of him. Don't be surprised if Bell looms larger in retirement than he did as a player, even though he started 100 games for the Tennessee Titans and St. Louis Rams. No longer is Bell, as he said, "one of the men behind the mask." It all changed when Bell, who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals just last month, used the recent suicide of NFL legendary linebacker Junior Seau as the impetus to walk away from the game while he still could. He became the first player to change his life based on the assumption that if he didn't, football would. I had barely heard of Bell, a 2004 fifth-round pick from Miami (Ohio), before Tuesday. Now, he'll forever be the player who hung up his cleats because of his own health concerns following Seau's tragic death. He is embracing his newfound megaphone to make life after football better for those who participate. "Man, I couldn't be happier about it," Bell said. "For me, it's something I have to do. It's a platform that needs to be talked about." Bell says he feels great. At 31 years old, he is moving fine, and his mind is clear. He isn't sure how many concussions he had, but he reports no physical ailments. But as someone who has often reached out to retired players, Bell knows that might not last forever. Bell also knows the stakes and realities of the sport he still loves. "It's a blessing to be able to retire and walk away on my own instead of being forced out of it," Bell said. "Think about what the guys are going through. Everybody wants to make the money, but what are you really sacrificing? If they tell you we're going to take your brain and whack it with a baseball bat, but we'll give you a couple million bucks, how many people would really do that? … I compare us to modern-day gladiators. We're giving our lives to the game of football for a price." Having spent time over the years doing research on his potential post-career health status, the thoughtful Bell said it's time to put it out in the open. He believes it's time to raise awareness for a game that is, in his mind, too slowly embracing the health concerns for its players. "This is too big of an issue to be brushed under the rug," Bell said. "What players are really coming out and letting people know the real deal? Now that I'm retired maybe it's easier for me to come out and speak. I think it's what I need to do. I don't see it ending any time soon." Bell isn't riding off into the sunset. He's riding into the sun. Bell believes the NFL's recent rule changes for making the game safer will help, but he also offered a few suggestions for how the league could help even more: 1. Make concussion awareness part of the rookie symposium. Bell recalls taking part in the annual rookie symposium in 2004, hearing repeated warnings about protecting his finances. "Everything revolves around the money," Bell said. That was helpful. But concussion awareness wasn't part of it. Bell thinks it should be. "They need to bring a panel of doctors into the rookie symposium and say, 'Hey, this is what we found, this is the research, this is what you all need to be aware of," Bell said. "I have to go out of my way, on my own, to find out (about brain health issues). Not through the NFL, [but] through retired players, through friends and my own contacts to find out what I can do for myself. That's not good enough." League spokesman Greg Aiello said the agenda for the 2012 edition of the rookie symposium is still being formulated. "We expect health and safety matters to be included," Aiello said. 2. Have players begin their careers with a brain scan. The NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis features a thorough medical examination for the players. Their entire bodies are checked to give teams a complete report on their health. It can sometimes prove positive. That's where New England Patriots tackle Marcus Cannon learned he had cancer, and he sought immediate treatment. Bell would like the process to go a step further. "We have all these medical records of all these players from the combine, but how many of these players have gotten brain scans?" Bell asked. "How many of them know what their brains look like? Let's go get all that done, get the imaging done from Day 1." A key part of Bell's idea is that the results would have to be kept away from team executives who may decide a player's future based on the scans. He'd like the information to be for the player's eyes only. That may not be feasible, but it's the goal. 3. Involve psychologists heavily in the education. It is not yet known if Seau was seeing a psychologist or counselor for the demons he battled. It is not yet known if that would have changed anything. But Bell wants to make it mandatory that each player meet with a psychologist upon entering the league. Not everyone will continue such meetings. But it's a way of forcing players to begin a healing process they might not happen otherwise. Bell believes activities to increase brain function would help -- puzzles, learning a language, taking vitamins. But, as he said, "It would really help to have a personal relationship with a doctor. … The reality is, it's a traumatic experience for your brain when you're playing the game of football. But we can definitely help these players." Follow Ian Rapoport on Twitter @rapsheet [url="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d828ff4e0/article/jacob-bell-walks-away-from-nfl-to-raise-player-health-awareness?module=HP11_content_stream"]http://www.nfl.com/n..._content_stream[/url] [/quote] Bell is on to something here, the NFL should reach out to him and try to work with this guy...especially when you consider the class action lawsuit they have, Bell could have a solution that works for both parties. Or he could start a company that does some of the things he is suggesting be done to players before they enter the NFL. Either way I like where Bell is going with this, he could be on to something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Numbers| Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 [quote name='Bengals1181' timestamp='1336673839' post='1130009'] [b] Jacob Bell walks away from NFL to raise player health awareness[/b] [/quote] [url="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/15/money-was-a-factor-in-bells-decision/"]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/15/money-was-a-factor-in-bells-decision/[/url] [quote] Last week, [url="http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/2843/jacob-bell"]Jacob Bell[/url] walked away from the NFL after eight seasons. But he now admits to Peter King of SI.com that, if Bell were due to earn big money this year, he likely would have kept playing.[/quote] In other words, Bell was playing the media like Carter and a few others. IF health awareness was the only reason it would be somewhat honorable. However, it obviously had little to do with health and almost everything to do with money. In short, don't let the door continually hit you in the ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredtoast Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 [quote name='Bengals1181' timestamp='1336673839' post='1130009'] [b] Jacob Bell walks away from NFL to raise player health awareness[/b] Jacob Bell answered the phone and listened to my introduction. I tell him I'm working on a story for NFL.com. "Hmmmm," he said. "Ian Rapoport. I've heard of you before." Bell, the eight-year starting left guard, paused. I could sense his smile on the other end of the line. "Have you heard of me before?" Bell asked. "More so lately," I responded. Based on our 15-minute conversation on the day Bell's retirement from the NFL became official, we haven't heard the last of him. Don't be surprised if Bell looms larger in retirement than he did as a player, even though he started 100 games for the Tennessee Titans and St. Louis Rams. No longer is Bell, as he said, "one of the men behind the mask." It all changed when Bell, who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals just last month, used the recent suicide of NFL legendary linebacker Junior Seau as the impetus to walk away from the game while he still could. He became the first player to change his life based on the assumption that if he didn't, football would. I had barely heard of Bell, a 2004 fifth-round pick from Miami (Ohio), before Tuesday. Now, he'll forever be the player who hung up his cleats because of his own health concerns following Seau's tragic death. He is embracing his newfound megaphone to make life after football better for those who participate. "Man, I couldn't be happier about it," Bell said. "For me, it's something I have to do. It's a platform that needs to be talked about." Bell says he feels great. At 31 years old, he is moving fine, and his mind is clear. He isn't sure how many concussions he had, but he reports no physical ailments. But as someone who has often reached out to retired players, Bell knows that might not last forever. Bell also knows the stakes and realities of the sport he still loves. "It's a blessing to be able to retire and walk away on my own instead of being forced out of it," Bell said. "Think about what the guys are going through. Everybody wants to make the money, but what are you really sacrificing? If they tell you we're going to take your brain and whack it with a baseball bat, but we'll give you a couple million bucks, how many people would really do that? … I compare us to modern-day gladiators. We're giving our lives to the game of football for a price." Having spent time over the years doing research on his potential post-career health status, the thoughtful Bell said it's time to put it out in the open. He believes it's time to raise awareness for a game that is, in his mind, too slowly embracing the health concerns for its players. "This is too big of an issue to be brushed under the rug," Bell said. "What players are really coming out and letting people know the real deal? Now that I'm retired maybe it's easier for me to come out and speak. I think it's what I need to do. I don't see it ending any time soon." Bell isn't riding off into the sunset. He's riding into the sun. Bell believes the NFL's recent rule changes for making the game safer will help, but he also offered a few suggestions for how the league could help even more: 1. Make concussion awareness part of the rookie symposium. Bell recalls taking part in the annual rookie symposium in 2004, hearing repeated warnings about protecting his finances. "Everything revolves around the money," Bell said. That was helpful. But concussion awareness wasn't part of it. Bell thinks it should be. "They need to bring a panel of doctors into the rookie symposium and say, 'Hey, this is what we found, this is the research, this is what you all need to be aware of," Bell said. "I have to go out of my way, on my own, to find out (about brain health issues). Not through the NFL, [but] through retired players, through friends and my own contacts to find out what I can do for myself. That's not good enough." League spokesman Greg Aiello said the agenda for the 2012 edition of the rookie symposium is still being formulated. "We expect health and safety matters to be included," Aiello said. 2. Have players begin their careers with a brain scan. The NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis features a thorough medical examination for the players. Their entire bodies are checked to give teams a complete report on their health. It can sometimes prove positive. That's where New England Patriots tackle Marcus Cannon learned he had cancer, and he sought immediate treatment. Bell would like the process to go a step further. "We have all these medical records of all these players from the combine, but how many of these players have gotten brain scans?" Bell asked. "How many of them know what their brains look like? Let's go get all that done, get the imaging done from Day 1." A key part of Bell's idea is that the results would have to be kept away from team executives who may decide a player's future based on the scans. He'd like the information to be for the player's eyes only. That may not be feasible, but it's the goal. 3. Involve psychologists heavily in the education. It is not yet known if Seau was seeing a psychologist or counselor for the demons he battled. It is not yet known if that would have changed anything. But Bell wants to make it mandatory that each player meet with a psychologist upon entering the league. Not everyone will continue such meetings. But it's a way of forcing players to begin a healing process they might not happen otherwise. Bell believes activities to increase brain function would help -- puzzles, learning a language, taking vitamins. But, as he said, "It would really help to have a personal relationship with a doctor. … The reality is, it's a traumatic experience for your brain when you're playing the game of football. But we can definitely help these players." Follow Ian Rapoport on Twitter @rapsheet [url="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d828ff4e0/article/jacob-bell-walks-away-from-nfl-to-raise-player-health-awareness?module=HP11_content_stream"]http://www.nfl.com/n..._content_stream[/url] [/quote] Bell is nothing but a quitter. So why is Rapoport sucking him off like he is some kind of hero? Now if you will excuse me I have to go change the nameplate on my newly purchased Bell jersey to say "QUITTER" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldcat Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 [quote name='fredtoast' timestamp='1337131647' post='1130866'] Bell is nothing but a quitter. So why is Rapoport sucking him off like he is some kind of hero? Now if you will excuse me I have to go change the nameplate on my newly purchased Bell jersey to say "QUITTER" [/quote] did you throw trash on Bell's apartment balcony? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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