‘Just follow the money’: NFL doctor reveals why so many players are getting injured

An NFL doctor sees all sorts of injuries in the world’s top athletes, with one physician pointing to a new, scary trend that is taking hold of the sports world.

Experts are now saying that the body cannot take what modern athletes are now routinely putting themselves through, and unfortunately, it’s not slowing down.

‘It can be a big moneymaker.’

The trend is an ever-growing level of exposure to sports, starting at a young age, that has resulted in near-insurmountable recurring body trauma. Dr. Brad Bellard, a team physician for the Denver Broncos, says he and others are constantly trying to adapt to devastating injuries popping up in young athletes.

“I don’t see it changing any time soon. We’re working around it,” Bellard told Blaze News.

The level of consistent competition children are engaging in through youth sports is aging their bodies at a rate never before seen, Bellard revealed.

“Right now in my clinic, I have patients who are 15 years old whose patellar tendon, which is very important in terms of being able to jump, is worn out, probably to the level of [an] NBA veteran,” the physician explained.

Year-round sports and the so-called “youth sports industrial complex” have created an ecosystem that Bellard says is driven by both profit and an inability to tell young athletes when enough is enough.

“Just follow the money. Right?” Bellard explained. “It can be a big moneymaker.”

The doctor continued, “As long as the incentive is to get the people playing as much as they possibly can, it’s gonna be tough. And that’s just me being very real.”

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Physicians are focused on educating coaches, parents, and athletes at every turn these days, while encouraging youngsters to play a variety of different sports and utilize different workouts. These efforts are accomplishing only so much, Bellard revealed, which is why so many are now screaming from the rooftops about young ballplayers overworking their muscles, ligaments, and joints.

“That’s the best we got so far,” he revealed.

These problems should be dealt with at the youth level, but as Dr. Bellard explained, there is a whole new set of issues once an athlete does make it to the pro level. Not only are modern athletes more likely to come into the pros with serious knee, shoulder, ankle, or other problems that weren’t nearly as prevalent in the past, there exists the issue of telling a superstar that sheer iron will cannot save him from injury.

Blaze News asked Bellard about legendary former NBA forward Dennis Rodman and how he was able to make a career out of partying every night while not missing a step when it came to game time.

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With five NBA championships, Bellard said Rodman is an example of an athlete new pros look at and say he “was able to do this,” so why can’t I?

Despite Rodman’s “suboptimal training techniques,” Bellard said while laughing, his “off-the-court activities” proved he was an exception, not the rule. This is a concept that many players are having a trouble grasping.

For every seemingly cartilage-less player Bellard has seen who can still inexplicably jump into the rafters, there are dozens of examples of athletes who can’t perform through such injuries.

Bellard said he does feel some personal responsibility when he can’t help athletes achieve their goals, but he believes it is his job to keep echoing how they can try to avoid such devastating damage.

“It means something to me to be able to help these athletes achieve their goals, get back to the field of play,” Bellard said candidly. “I’d say it’s somewhat tough whenever they can’t.”

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