Has Football Become Too Violent?
VELSHI: Former Chicago Bear Dave Duerson committed suicide last week, and he seemed to have a greater purpose in mind as he made a point to shoot himself in the chest and not the head. He left messages with family members asking them to have doctors examine his brain for evidence of possible trauma. As you know, the National Football League has been criticized for being too lax in dealing with the consequences of head injuries. So this begs the question, is football too violent? Joining me from Los Angeles, former Heisman trophy winner Eddie George. He was the second running back to rush for 10,000 yards while never missing a start. Eddie, let's talk about this -- and we also have another guest, Marie Harden joins us as well. Eddie, let's start with you about this. What's your sense of the NFL and how it treats head injuries?</s>EDDIE GEORGE, NFL PLAYER: Well, in regards to the NFL and the head injuries, I think over the last four to five years you've really looked at Roger Goodell implementing a plan to make the game safer. You know, having players thinking more consciously about where they're hitting and how they're hitting players, defenseless players. But the game is the game. It's going to be a violent game and when you're talking about in regards to the death of David Duerson, I tend to believe that, you know, as far as his brain was concerned we don't know if it was related to his death. And it's tough to say -- you have to be careful about what you say about guys having injuries and relating it to suicides. I think what you have to look at is the underlying layers that surrounded his death. You're talking about a rags to riches back to rags story in terms of a financial situation that most people can't handle. You know, you look at Chicago, this past years, three prominent men of business all committed suicide. They never took an NFL hit. So you have to be really careful in terms of, well, is the game too violent. Is it causing these guys to make these decisions? I think it comes down to the bigger issue is after the game. You know, the transition that you make after the game and having, knowing what to do next for a lot of these guys because there is no set plan for what you do after your playing days and it often brings on depression and a lot of issues from total well-being perspective.</s>VELSHI: Marie, what's your sense of this?</s>PROF. MARIE HARDIN, PENN STATE UNIVERSITY: You know, I would agree with Eddie in that football is simply a violent sport. That's the way it was set up. It's a sport where the most forceful team is going to win the game, and I do think we have to be careful about what we read in to things like the death last week. I would also say that, you know, certainly sports over the past few decades, perhaps we could argue they've become more violent, that doesn't necessarily that they've become more dangerous, as the science of sport really works on safety issues with athletes.</s>VELSHI: Eddie, what, then, needs to be done? Because there are an increasing number of people who are saying that there needs to be more research into this, to see what's dangerous and what can be done. You mentioned there have been some changes made. You're satisfied that they're enough?</s>GEORGE: You know, I think the research is there. I think, you know, when you're looking at guys' brains and seeing how that affects the injuries or blows to the head, how that impacts your lifestyle, I think what needs to be done a better job of is the health care issue with players. You know, five years out and then you're not covered, is just not enough. I think you need to really look at that research and a wellness plan after for these guys so you can have a chance to have counseling, so you can have a chance to have counseling, so you can have a chance to tap into a network that you can find business or other things that you can do with your life skills. I think it really starts there because when you're talking about a person that's been through the highs and lows of the NFL and experienced the mountaintop and then all of a sudden becoming a nobody, that's a disheartening situation. So a lot of it stems from, who are you next, what are you doing next from a financial standpoint, a health standpoint and social standpoint. And that's what needs to be addressed more importantly than anything else because the game is it the game. It hasn't changed over the last 75 years. And again, Roger Goodell and the NFL, they're trying to do a better job of keeping the game safe for players. But more importantly, after the game, the health care of these players is more important. The total well being.</s>VELSHI: Eddie, it's good to talk to you. Thanks very much. Marie, thanks for joining us. Marie Hardin, by the way, is an associate professor at Penn State University, currently Center for Sports Journalism, and Eddie George former Heisman trophy winner. Thanks to both of you. All right, time for a CNN Political Update. CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser joins me from Washington. Paul, what do we think about the budget battle going on in Wisconsin? There's some surprises in some new polling.</s>PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes. The whole idea, Ali, was, what do Americans think about all this. Check this out, Gallup is out with a poll this morning, a national survey they did just earlier this week. Take a look at this. First off, the question is: In your state, if there was a move to reduce the pay and benefits for state government workers, would you approve or support that or be against that? Look at the numbers right here, a majority, 53 percent oppose such a move, just 44 percent favor it. What about the other thing going on in Wisconsin, and that is a move by the governor there to try to strip the collective bargaining rights of those state government workers? You can see there a larger opposition, more than six in ten oppose the move, only one in three support the move. And, Ali, as you can imagine, this poll indicates a partisan divide on that question with Democrats and even Independents opposing the stripping of the collective bargaining. Republicans by a slim majority, not that slim, 12 points favor it. Ali, that's what I've got. Back to you.</s>VELSHI: All right, Paul, thanks very much. And of course, anybody who's undecided on that matter will have lots of opportunities to form their opinions, because it sounds like it this is playing itself out in a few different states. Paul Steinhauser, good to see you my friend. Your next update from "The Best Political Team on Television" is just one hour away. I'm sure a lot of folks have had it up to here with the TSA and airport security. Well, count a Seattle restaurant owner among them. I'll show you how he's trying to stick it to the TSA and why his sweet revenge kind of comes off like sour grapes.