NFL players are modern-day ‘‘gladiators.’’ That’s a word anyone following the story of Bills safety Damar Hamlin — who went into cardiac arrest after a tackle on ‘‘Monday Night Football’’ and is in critical condition — keeps hearing and reading.
Players are bigger, stronger and faster than ever. Collisions can be shockingly violent. Changes to rules and equipment mitigate some of the danger, but the risks to all who play in the NFL are enormous. The threat of the next grievous injury always hangs in the air.
