Pollard: NFL will be gone in 30 years
Ravens safety Bernard Pollard sees two things in pro football's future: death and disintegration.
“Thirty years from now I don’t think it will be in existence,” Pollard told CBS Sports. “I could be wrong. It’s just my opinion, but I think with the direction things are going — where [NFL rules makers] want to lighten up, and they’re throwing flags and everything else — there’s going to come a point where fans are going to get fed up with it.”
It’s ironic for Pollard to be making these statements, since he is known for hard hits like the helmet-to-helmet shot he delivered to New England running back Stevan Ridley in the AFC championship game, which knocked him unconscious and forced him to cough up the football.
Pollard thinks that the way the game is evolving with players getting bigger and faster, something tragic may occur on the field, rather than something years down the line caused by concussions.
“The only thing I’m waiting for — and, Lord, I hope it doesn’t happen — is a guy dying on the field," he said. "We’ve had everything else happen there except for a death. We understand what we signed up for, and it sucks.
“Like I said, I hope I’m wrong, but I just believe one day there’s going to be a death that takes place on the field because of the direction we’re going.”
-
2024 NFL Draft odds: Vikings, Patriots are clear favorites to draft J.J. McCarthy
2024 NFL jersey redesigns: Browns latest team to make change
2024 NFL Draft safety rankings: Pac-12 prospects make up half of the top 10
-
Dwight Freeney says Tom Brady was one of the toughest NFL QBs for him to sack
The art of NFL Draft misdirection: How teams use subterfuge to hide their plans
2024 NFL Schedule Release: Date, when does the season start?
-
2024 Green Bay Packers mock draft: Loading up on the defensive side
Robert Kraft reportedly warned Falcons 'not to trust' Bill Belichick
2024 NFL Draft prospect rankings: Top 100 led by Caleb Williams
-
2024 NFL Draft odds: Vikings, Patriots are clear favorites to draft J.J. McCarthy
2024 NFL jersey redesigns: Browns latest team to make change
2024 NFL Draft safety rankings: Pac-12 prospects make up half of the top 10
-
Dwight Freeney says Tom Brady was one of the toughest NFL QBs for him to sack
The art of NFL Draft misdirection: How teams use subterfuge to hide their plans
2024 NFL Schedule Release: Date, when does the season start?
-
2024 Green Bay Packers mock draft: Loading up on the defensive side
Robert Kraft reportedly warned Falcons 'not to trust' Bill Belichick
2024 NFL Draft prospect rankings: Top 100 led by Caleb Williams