Roger Staubach was in his Dallas office Thursday morning, tied up with a series of meetings and phone calls, so he didn't immediately learn that the NFL had settled with the 4,500 former players who were suing the league over continuing concussion-related problems.
The Hall of Fame quarterback, despite being one of the first players to say that concussions ended his career when he retired from the Dallas Cowboys in 1980, chose not to sue the NFL like so many of his peers. Staubach, 71, said he hasn't suffered from any of the ailments as other players of his generation - diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS or dementia.
"I don't think the NFL initially tried to hide the fact that you might have dementia one day because you've had a concussion," Staubach told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday. The players that are in the middle of the lawsuit, they feel differently. I just have stayed out of it because I don't think anyone intentionally tried to deceive me."
To Staubach, the settlement agreement is a sign both retired players and the NFL didn't want the lawsuit to drag out any longer and eventually proceed to a trial.
"I guess the NFL sure did not want to keep fighting this thing, and the players, I'm sure there were a lot of them out of that (4,500) that really do have some issues. Like with any lawsuit, people jump into it just to jump into it. It was a mess, with that many players," Staubach said. "I'm glad it's settled, and I'm sure the owners are."
Staubach's history could have made him a star plaintiff had he decided to join in on the suit. He suffered as many as 20 concussions in his playing career, including six in which he said he was "knocked out."
Two of his concussions came in 1979, after which a doctor at Cornell told him that while his brain tests were coming back clear that the moment, his next concussion could have life-altering consequences.
Staubach turned down the Cowboys' offer for two more seasons to protect his long-term health.
"If I hadn't been 38, I wouldn't have retired," Staubach said.
Staubach remains an avid NFL fan, and has paid close attention to the rule changes made in recent years to try to make the game safer. Some moves, he said, don't make sense ?? like changes to kickoffs and the 2013 change that prohibits running backs from lowering their heads into defenders. But banning helmet-to-helmet hits was the right move, and one that had it happened in the 1970s, could have extended his career.
Three of Staubach's concussions were the direct result of a direct helmet-to-helmet hit, each of which were legal.
"It wasn't dirty, that was how you played the game," Staubach said. "Now, they would have been fined, or ejected."
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Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones
Copyright 2013 USATODAY.com
Read the original story: Despite 20 concussions, Roger Staubach stayed out of lawsuit
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