Ex-NFL RB Jerome Bettis Feels ‘Taken Advantage Of’ By League On Concussion Approach

Former NFL running back Jerome Bettis has revealed he is disappointed with the league for how little information it provided players regarding concussions during his time as a player.

Jerome Bettis speaks at Israel event on concussion diagnosis research

“You definitely feel as though you were taken advantage of in a way that you weren’t given that information, and you always want to have the choice of knowing, and when that is taken away from you, you feel as though you were taken advantage of,” Bettis told the Associated Press on Monday, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

The 45-year-old Hall of Famer — who played 13 seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers — claims anyone who played as long a career as his is bound to sustain a concussion at some point.

“I don’t think you’ll find many guys that had a long career, played 10-plus years, that didn’t have a concussion,” he said.

Bettis was known for his aggressive playing style, which included constantly running over defenders, as “The Bus.” A six-time Pro Bowler, he recorded 13,662 total rushing yards in his career.

The former running back’s remarks came at an event in Israel where NFL players visited a neurotechnology company that is researching better ways to diagnose concussions.

The Associated Press recently reported that the league’s billion-dollar concussion settlement terms were announced, terms that granted $9 million in benefits.

“The league was accused of hiding what it knew about the link between concussions and CTE, the degenerative brain disease that has been found in dozens of former players after their deaths,” the AP stated.

CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is a form of brain trauma caused by repeated blows to the head. As the AP reported, this disease is often not discovered in former football players until well after they die.

PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 01: Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis addresses fans at Heinz Field during a halftime ceremony for the presentation of his Hall of Fame ring at Heinz Field on October 1, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)