This is not going to be his decision.

It is not going to be the team's decision.

The coach's decision.

This is completely out of all of their hands.

What happens is the A team doctor can clear him for contact, which would clear him to play in the game.

Interesting quarterbacks aren't contacted in practice, so right, so the first time you'll have contact is a game.

But once the team doctor does that, an independent neurological consultant jointly appointed by the league and the NFL Players Association has to sign off on that clearance before he could get out on the field.

So, yes, the league would have a say in whether he's able to play or not.

Dominique was the president of the Players Association when that rule went in, so we'll talk to him about it in a moment.

But first, I want you to hear what Brett Farve said about this yesterday.

A guy who obviously played all those years and never missed a game.

And he had some interesting comments when it came to Mahomes and what he thinks Patrick should do this weekend I played 321 straight games.

It kind of goes against everything that I Yeah, I stood for when I played.

But you gotta be smart.

You gotta be smart.

I was never faced with the decision that he potentially will face this week.

Um, and ultimately, the decision may fall on the doctors.

Andi, if they choose that he doesn't play, then it's the right move because of long term damage.

And when you're in the moment and you're young, you're bulletproof, man.

But I'm I'm 51 years old and I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Um, because of concussions.

More than anything, it was jarring to hear of all people Brett Farve talking that way.

So so much here to unpack again.

Nick and Damien Woody getting up with us this morning.

And, Dominic, I want to start with you.

Because again, you were the president off the Players Association, when all of these rules about the independent neurologists and everything else came in and what they're designed for, genuinely or generally is to protect the player first and foremost from himself, right?

Absolutely.

I think the point of having this independent neurologist is so that the player, because the players are always gonna want to play in that situation just like Brett was laying out there.

But I think it's important to understand that even when you have an independent neurologists, as much as I want to say and want to take credit for being part of the negotiations that made the game safer, that's true.

But it doesn't make it completely safe, so it's not like a broken bone.

The independent neurologist is certainly gonna be assessing the quarterback based on what he's saying or the player in any case, based on what he's saying.

So after a particular vigorous workout, they asked them, You have a headache.

Are you still sensitive delight.

So answering those questions honestly, or or inaccurately, is still up to the player.

To some degree, we don't have all the information.

It's not 100% clear.

All the symptoms and all the way that this stuff all the ways that this thing can impact players long term.

So I think when Brett Farr specifically him, someone says that says something like what?

He said, It makes me concern for what he's going through and also gives me pause for all players that are exposing themselves to this.

We have to understand is a very serious risk, and it's not going away, no question about it.

But then, when way sort of focusing on this game this weekend, Damien Woody, you played sort of leading right up to the time where this culture began to change.

Do you believe that player's perspective on this has changed?

Do you think players like a player like Patrick Mahomes might?

We saw him pop up and go running into the locker room.

He looked like he wanted to go back on the field last Sunday.

Do you think that the players perspectives have changed on things like this?

I think to a certain degree, I think, players arm or educated about concussions and player safety than you know.

You know, a guy like myself who, when you know these things were kind of Turn the corner early in my career.

But ultimately, listen, players play.

You know, that's the mentality that a lot of players in the National Football League has had, you know, either, you know, during my time, even right now.

So it's ultimately gonna fall on the doctors and, like Dominic was saying Patrick Mahomes to be, you know, honest and forthright about his condition when he's going through this concussion protocol.

So let's make it very clear on what it is that hangs in the balance here.

I said it yesterday, and I'll stand by it.

Dominique Fox worth with Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs of the favorite in this game.

Without him, it is at least one person's opinion they have next to no chance of beating Buffalo.

What do you think?

Yeah, you're right.

And that is the pressure that Patrick Mahomes is feeling.

Nobody wants to play more than him, And no, no players want to be on the field or wanna be off the field in this moment.

But I think you're right there.

Chances go down significantly without Patrick Mahomes, despite the fact that they have a lot of awesome playmakers and Patrick Mahomes knows that all the work that they have been doing all season, frankly, all their lives have gotten them to this point to this opportunity.

And no one wants to miss that opportunity.

No want to be on the sideline in a Parker cheering for guys in this situation.

But Brett Farve laid it out there more important things in life than this one game.

But at the moment when you're in that game, you really can't imagine that there is anything more important than winning at that one moment.

Which, as crazy as that sounds, we've all been there.

And we know how it feels when you get to that.

Well, we all haven't been there, but you know what I mean.

Greeny.

Well, Damien, Woody has been there.

Why are you shaking your head when he's saying that D would Green?

I'm trying to tell you, man is I know how players think, and I've been in that situation before where you know, you have this type of injury and you're not thinking about the future.

You're not you're not thinking about.

You know, when I'm 50 you're thinking about right here right now.

You know you don't wanna let your teammates down?

You know that this opportunity might not ever come back around, so you're willing to sacrifice.

That's the minds of the players, and that's just being honest about the situation.

So, you know, I hope Patrick Mahomes make you know, make the right decision, you know, in this time.

But that's just giving you, You know, the idea of what's in the players around in the mind in this particular moment, quickly to button it.

Graziano.

We watch today.

You made the point earlier.

Even if Mahomes is on the practice field today, it does not mean for certain that he plays on Sunday.

Right?

Right, there's there's a stage at which he's cleared for football activity.

He could be on a side field, throwing the football right, not near the rest of his teammates.

There's a stage where he's cleared to practice, and again he could be at so so, Yeah, you can.

You can look at what he does the next couple of days and draw certain conclusions about where he stands in the protocol.

But it's very important for everybody to remember that you could go right back to the start of the protocol, the second you show symptoms again.

And to be clear, Vegas tells us if he plays the chiefs of the favorite.

If he doesn't play the bills of the favorite, that's what hangs in the balance in the A F.

C.

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