The Patriots wide receiver recently took to his very own Ochocino News Network to express his feelings on player safety in football and to back his "good friend" and league commissioner Roger Goodell.
In recent years and especially since the unfortunate death of All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau, Goodell and the NFL have been put under a very large microscope concerning player safety in the league. The claims and the evidence seem to point to football as the root cause of mental and physical ailments for many former players. And the list of lawsuits against the league seems to grow by the day.
Ochocinco decided to write an open letter to the NFL over the weekend, explaining his thoughts on the issues of safety in football with some rather pointed words to both players and fans of the game.
"Y'all do a darn near perfect job at portraying this game as one played by heroes," Ochocinco stated in the letter. "But let's be real dad. This is a nasty, dirty and violent game with consequences. Sign up or go get a regular job. Watch it or turn off the TV and go fishing with your kids. It is really that simple."
The 34-year-old Ochocinco acknowledged the severity of the predicament, but firmly placed his support behind Goodell and his ability to find a solution.
"You are in one big [expletive] catch-22 and quite frankly, I am not sure there is any solution," Ochocinco continues. "In all, I love you and if anyone can lead us out of this mess, it will be you."
The NFL has a long and arduous journey ahead if they hope to get out from under the negative perception. But having the support of at least some it's players could go a very long way in resolving the primary issue.
