Hall of Famers John Madden and Ronnie Lott have been appointed co-chairs of a new Player Safety Advisory Panel that will include former G.M. Ernie Accorsi, former player and coach Marty Schottenheimer, and former players Antonio Freeman, Patrick Kerney, Willie Lanier and Anthony Munoz.
Madden and Lott spoke with the media about their goals on Tuesday, which focused on collecting data and trying to improve safety while recognizing football is a “tough guy” sport.
“What we want to do is get everyone on the same page,” Madden said. “We’re going to talk to players, talk to coaches. One of my goals is to find some answers. . . . There are a lot of rules ‘though shalt not’ -- let’s get to the next step. What can we do in each situation?”
The panel is in its formative stages but Lott mentioned the need to understand why players don’t wear a lot of protective equipment. Madden mentioned possibly widening the field or the hash marks on the field.
Lott also mentioned how his coach Bill Walsh didn’t have the 49ers practice in pads and the benefits inherent in that.
“We’re going to study the whole year,” Madden said. “The offseason; the weight training portion, minicamps, OTAs, training camps, regular season practices -- a lot more than just the game.”
Madden made it clear they weren’t advising anything that is directly related to the CBA. If there is an 18-game season, he says the panel’s responsibility will be to collect as much information as possible to make the “enhanced” season safer.
