Legalized Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, September 13, 2016

Obviously, some NFL players do not want to understand illegal hits to the head and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Count Darian Stewart among them; he uncorked this blatant and vicious helmet-to-helmet hit on Cam Newton on Thursday evening:

Of course, Stewart attempted to evade responsibility with this crack to reporter Tom Pelissaro:

Stewart said he thought he led with shoulder. Was unsure if Cam was going to run or throw. "I just took the shot, man."

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 9, 2016

That was one of four hits-to-the-head of Cam Newton Thursday evening.

And for insisting that the NFL is concerned about player safety and following the concussion protocol, they seem to conveniently forget the rules when a star player is involved.  Of course, two sportswriters and at least one medical doctor have called out the NFL for "moving the goal posts," no pun intended:

The NFL has a concussion protocol unless it’s an important moment

— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) September 9, 2016

Amazing how the concussion protocol doesn't apply to Cam Newton in the final minute of a close game.

— Carmen DeFalco (@CarmenDeFalco) September 9, 2016

At least 4 independent observers did not see/act on it: referee, independent neuro on sideline & 2 ATC spotters, https://t.co/SlMEVBOZvC

— David J. Chao, MD (@ProFootballDoc) September 9, 2016

For his part, Newton gamely put up with a press scrum afterward, but he didn't look or sound too well:

Sadly, this is not the first time Darian Stewart has deliberately attempted to injure another player with a hit to the head.  On October 4, 2012 while playing for the then-Saint Louis Rams, Stewart seriously injured Arizona Cardinals player Ryan Williams with this cheap shot:

USAToday's Scott Bordow reported that Williams was lost for the season with a shoulder injury.  After pulling the same thing time after time, why is Stewart still permitted to play in the National Football League?

Shooting the messenger

And then you have Bernard Schirmer, a community college football player for Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, California, knocking a referee unconscious with a full punch to the head:

VIDEO: Mt. SAC lineman punches referee between plays at Ventura College (video by @SoCalCollegeSpo) @scfafootball pic.twitter.com/ZD4vejJRYp

— VCStar CollegeSports (@vcscolleges) September 11, 2016

After being arrested for the incident, Schirmer claimed he was going to punch himself in some incomprehensible form of juvenile self-discipline. But the Southern California Football Association wasn't buying that story; as KCAL-DT reports, the SCFA has suspended Schirmer for five years:

SCFA Commissioner Jim Sartoris' official statement regarding suspension of Mt. SAC football player Bernard Schirmer: pic.twitter.com/NZuhXEksCo

— SCFA (@scfafootball) September 13, 2016

If I had been the official attacked in this case, you can be certain that I would be pressing charges against Schirmer.  YMMV.

Moreover, neither of these vicious attacks over the weekend do anything to help the National Football League or the youth football programs they support.  An interesting study by the Public Religion Research Institute claims an increase in the number of parents who refuse to let their children play American football.  What is unusual about the study is the variety of reasons, supposedly breaking down on political lines, according to Dr. Robert P. Jones, the CEO of PRRI:

“Democrats are more than twice as likely as Republicans to cite concussions and violence as their top concerns, while Republicans are almost twice as likely as Democrats to say it bothers them that players are poor role models.”

More than one-quarter (26 percent) of Democrats cite violence or concussions as what bothers them most about professional football, compared to only 11 percent of Republicans. Republicans, in turn, are about twice as likely as Democrats to mention players serving as poor role models (29 percent vs. 16 percent, respectively).

Whatever the actual case, Darian Stewart and Bernard Schirmer have certainly made the game look even worse this past weekend.  And let us not forget Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson's child abuse that would land most parents in jail.

Football players from American community colleges to the NFL, to commissioner Roger Goodell, are making it tougher and tougher for me to like this sport.  And there is seemingly no end in sight.