It is a fair argument to say that professional athletes should not be entitled to long term care by the league or their teams. I disagree, personally, but it is a legitimate argument to make.

From my personal experience however, I believe you underestimate the level of injuries sustained by professional athletes in the NFL. I played in college, and by that time, most football players have been in the game for over 10 years. The amount of time spent in physical therapy, especially toward the end of the season, is often equal to time spent on the field in practice. These guys leave the trainer with sometimes 10 ice bags attached, and they cant even buy a beer yet. I believe it is completely accurate to say that with the very rare exception every player leaves the sport with some level of CTE. Again, this is only my personal observation, but I count myself among those who have been concussed countless times while playing football.

Lastly, I don’t fully agree that first responders is an apples-to-apples comparison. The NFL and its franchises are massively profitable. For the players, this was often their only shot at leaving a tough upbringing, whereas team owners were frequently wealthy to a degree. They are certainly making a huge profit compared to even their biggest players, and all without potential body harm.

Individual contractors are not courted out of high school with dreams of grandor, nor are they made into celebrities. Athletes are not pushed to study finance, they are pushed to get stronger and faster. Their well being beyond their skill on the field is not of concern to the franchises who benefit from their effort - and this is where i find a moral disconnect.

The right thing to do would be to protect their health during and after their time in the NFL.