Carroll Angeles

Colts' Saturday stood up for health of fellow players
By Tom Pedulla, USA TODAY
August 15, 2011
(two pages)
ANDERSON, Ind. — For Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday, who was portrayed by both sides as
playing a key role in reaching a collective bargaining agreement, it was never about the money.
He traveled the country and immersed himself in day after day of painstaking negotiations because he was
determined to do his part to protect the bodies and minds of current and future NFL players.
"I want players to walk away healthy from this game," he says. "I don't want them to be crippled. I don't
want them to have brain issues. I want them to be productive in society once they leave."
According to Saturday, his recent service on the executive committee of the NFL Players Association made
him keenly aware of the devastating toll the game was taking.
"I have had many men say, 'Look at me. This is a serious issue. This is what I'm going through. This is
what my family is going through,'" he says. "Those were very important factors we did not miss.
"We have young men who play this game who cannot foresee the future, so we need these men to tell us
what it's like. At the end of the day, we have to protect the players' long-term health of their bodies and
minds, and money doesn't protect them from that.
"Money can help fix some issues, but it can't fix them all."
Given that the sport generated more than $9billion in revenue last season and projections for future growth
are excellent, it was always clear there would be enough revenue to satisfy both parties. The matter of
shielding those who have no assurance they will walk off the field on any given day was far more complex.
"Nobody leaves this game uninjured. It's impossible," Saturday says. "Everybody is leaving with
something."
The issue was how to keep that to a minimum. A sore ankle or knee is one thing. Dementia is another.
In providing critical input to NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, Saturday reflected on the years
he spent in Indianapolis. He graduated from the University of North Carolina with a business degree and
joined the Colts as an undrafted rookie in 1999. He soon became a mainstay on the offensive line.
With superb quarterback Peyton Manning directing the offense, Tony Dungy produced a 92-33 record from
2002 to 2008 punctuated by a Super Bowl triumph to close the 2006 season. Dungy was known for limiting
the physical demands on players during training camp with an eye toward the long haul.
His successor, Jim Caldwell, is achieving strong results with the same philosophy. Caldwell took
Indianapolis to the Super Bowl in his first season. He guided the Colts to the playoffs again last year. The
AFC South champions fashioned a 10-6 mark before they were eliminated by the visiting New York Jets
17-16 in the divisional playoffs.