People always bring up that the violence of the sport should have clued players into the fact that they were doing long-term damage to their bodies. And they are correct; players have always known that. They have felt the pains, and pushed through the recoveries, and taken the drugs (legal and not), and they have seen the players before them fall apart. Knee replacements, permanent scars and nerve damage, losses of body parts, even paralysis; football players have always been prepared for the sudden, irreparable injuries that can occur on a football field.
But CTE is different. This is something that moves slowly, that can take someone in otherwise fine health and destroy their life by destroying their brain. And it's not caused by something major but, from what the evidence seems to show, the simple, everyday actions of playing football. And instead of being able to spend a painful but otherwise pleasant retirement enjoying your family and reliving your glory days, it changes your personality and kills your memory. That's scary, and it isn't what any of these players agreed to when they signed up to give their bodies to the sport.
The NFL itself has a vested interest in protecting these players. They are the ones who are the true heart of the league, who give interviews, and spend time officially and unofficially with fans, and essentially act as the best recruitment tool for the future generations of people giving up their bodies to try and reach for that glory, too. But the league hasn't done that, and I don't think it's a particularly far leap to assume that there will be more and more coming out over time in how much they tried to keep this knowledge from the players. And once those players jump ship, the league will be truly in deep trouble long-term.
