Cornerback Byron Jones of the Miami Dolphins gave a stark warning to the 2023 NFL draft class Saturday on Twitter about long-term injury effects, as well as some things incoming players should try to avoid.
Jones retweeted a video posted by the NFL’s Twitter account from 2015 that showed off his impressive 12-foot, three-inch long jump from his scouting combine and said, “much has changed in 8 years. Today I can’t run or jump because of my injuries sustained playing this game.”
“DO NOT take the pills they give you. DO NOT take the injections they give you. If you absolutely must, consult an outside doctor to learn the long-term implications,” the NFL Pro Bowler added.
Much has changed in 8 years. Today I can’t run or jump because of my injuries sustained playing this game. DO NOT take the pills they give you. DO NOT take the injections they give you. If you absolutely must, consult an outside doctor to learn the long-term implications. https://t.co/g5TTHDQGSY
— Byron Jones (@TheByronJones) February 25, 2023
In a separate tweet, Jones said that although playing in the NFL is an honor, there were regrettable costs about playing professional football that he never saw coming.
Jones wrote, “in my opinion, no amount of professional success or financial gain is worth avoidable chronic pain and disabilities.” He capped off his sentiments by saying, “Godspeed to the draft class of 2023.”
It was an honor and privilege to play in the NFL but it came at a regrettable cost I did not foresee. In my opinion, no amount of professional success or financial gain is worth avoidable chronic pain and disabilities. Godspeed to the draft class of 2023.
— Byron Jones (@TheByronJones) February 25, 2023
Jones was sidelined for all of the 2022-2023 season due to surgery he had on his Achilles tendon, according to ESPN.
Keeping in mind how Jones claimed how he can’t run or jump, it appears that his football career is nearing its final chapters, despite ESPN reporting that he’s not planning on retiring just yet.
This is a message that the 23′ NFL Draft class NEEDS to hear. Football players often endure injuries during their playing careers that leave them broken down and decrepit long after their playing days are over. Aside from the injuries players suffer to their limbs that can cause life-long chronic pain, the risk of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) is very real, due to all the head-to-head collisions players go through throughout the course of a season. (RELATED: Eight-Time Pro Bowler Bobby Wagner Hits Free Agency For Second Time In Career After Being Released)
Incoming players ought to have a backup plan prior to signing their first NFL contract, being cognizant of how broken down Jones’ body is at just 30-years-old. Football wears down the body and brains of its players unlike any other sport in the world. Not having a plan B before putting your career fully into throttle would be a mistake.
As tough as it is to hear about the chronic pain that Jones is dealing with from playing in the NFL, he is enlightening a generation of players about the dark side of the game.