The death of former NFL defensive tackle Norman Hand, who passed away of heart disease on at age 37, has some of his teammates concerned about the health risks of going through life the size of an NFL lineman.
Hand was officially listed at 310 pounds, and his Saints teammate Steve Korte points out that being that heavy can have serious health consequences.
“If you think about it there are not very many great big old men,” Korte told the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
The Times-Picayune reports that multiple former Saints lineman have died from heart or weight-related health problems, including Hand, 39-year-old Steve Trapilo, 39-year-old Frank Warren and 48-year-old Tony Elliot.
That worries some other former Saints linemen.
“It is alarming in general when you realize what the consequences are to a lot of guys who played the game,” said former Saints guard Brad Edelman. “On a personal level I’m not aware of having any conditions like that and my weight has not been an issue. But certainly it’s an issue that a lot of guys need to be concerned about.”
Dr. Patrice Delafontaine, who led a health study of former NFL players, says weight is a concern.
“In some players, particularly the linemen who are the bigger players it is a significant issue, yes,” said Delafontaine. “In these linemen, compared to even other football players that are non-linemen, the incidence is really quite a lot higher. So they have an increased risk of cardiac events such as strokes, heart attacks and etc.”
The league and the players’ union, which have recently devoted more attention to the long-term consequences of concussions, should also be concerned about the long-term health consequences of obesity. Some former players certainly are.
