Eagles coach Tom Coughlin has made it clear that the NFL “will have a better environment” for all players.
The league will have to deal with players not being able to participate in mandatory training camps, which will allow teams to play out games without any injuries, Coughlins comments were made during a Wednesday interview on ESPN’s “Mike and Mike” podcast.
In the interview, Croughlin says that players who were drafted into the league “are just the same as anyone else.
They’re athletes.
They make decisions for themselves.
And they’ll play as long as they want.”
He says the league will need to improve its policies for addressing players’ mental health and how it will handle players with a history of substance abuse, as well as the way the league handles discipline and suspensions.
The Eagles also are working to get players who are facing discipline from the league to leave the league.
“The best thing that the league can do is have a plan to work with the players and help them understand that the game isn’t about punishment.
The game is about learning from your mistakes and making better decisions for the future,” Coughins comments were read.”
We’ve got to get those guys out of the league as quickly as possible.
We have to get them off the field.
That’s a long process, but the players are going to have to make those decisions for them, and the league is going to work through that.
We’re going to be better for it.”
In addition to the NFL, Cufflin has talked to several other NFL owners, and has met with the NFL Players Association about the league’s approach to mental health.
“You have to have a conversation about this.
And the NFL has to have that conversation, too.
It’s not going to get better if we just let it get worse,” Cuffins comments, according to ESPN.
“The league has got to do a better job of taking responsibility for its own players.
And that’s something that has to be the focus of the union.
We’ve got players coming back from this, and it has to come from the union and the players themselves.
If we’re not willing to take responsibility for our own players, then we’re just going to allow the league that kind of responsibility.”
If Coughlins comments are confirmed, he would become the third coach in NFL history to take a strong stance on mental health issues.
In 2013, Cutchlin said in an interview with the New York Post that he was “100 percent” aware of how “we treat our players.”