Apologies For The Circular References

But this is a very good read.  Best part:

I'm not trying to minimize Andrews' fear of what a lineman's life might be like, 15 or 20 or 30 years down the road. We've all read the stories about 50-something ex-NFL stars who can't walk, or even worse, the stories about damaged brains. You think Brian Dawkins hasn't pondered what happened to Andre Waters? Of course he has. The league needs to do everything it can, from rules changes to equipment upgrades, to make the sport less devastating to those who play it. This should be a huge priority.

But Brian Dawkins is still taking money to play pro football, and you don't get much hand-wringing from him about it. This is the business he's chosen. If Shawn Andrews would rather go try to sing for a living, nobody's stopping him. If he's going to cash checks made out by an NFL team, he owes it to himself and to his teammates to be in the moment, every moment, to become the unstoppable force he is capable of becoming. This is not the sort of game you can play reluctantly.