

But he had no choice, so he, as he puts it, 'put a little fire in No. Although he was a three-time All-Southwestern Conference star who had intercepted 26 passes in three seasons at Jackson State, Lem Barney was a comparative unknown when he joined the National Football League as a second-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions in 1967.
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Snyder writes for the Detroit Free Press, a Gannett property. MIDLAND, MI - Lem Barney never wanted to be No.
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"You hear about guys who played in championship games, Pro Bowlers and Super Bowls, but you don't hear about the regular Joe who plays the game and has killed themselves. "You look at guys like Bubba Smith that left us, Dave Duerson that left us, Junior Seau as of late, that are killing themselves because of the head injuries they had," Barney said. Lem Barney: A Lions Legend Detroit Lions 67.3K subscribers 5 Dislike Share 22 views Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992, Lem Barney played his entire. Dantonio even presented a video on technique to the 600 or so campers.īarney suggests removing the helmet from the game, but he understands that's not a reasonable expectation. He told his son years ago not to play football, and he has been even more emphatic with his grandson, who will play at Barney's alma mater, Jackson State, this fall.īarney's comments came while he was sitting on a panel alongside major college football coaches - Michigan's Brady Hoke and Michigan State's Mark Dantonio among them - all who appeared frozen as Barney attacked their profession.īoth tried to be respectful to Barney while pointing out that there's known risk in the game.ĭantonio and Hoke emphasized proper tackling and safety at the camp. He said he shudders to see what the game has done to former players dying. He said he has been diagnosed in recent years with seven to eight concussions from his playing career.

And it's only going to get worse."īarney said he would "feel really bad" if he didn't say anything about what he knows. Barney is one of eight finalists for four spots at cornerback. Detroit’s great cornerback is now a finalist for one of the spots on the NFL’s All-Time team as part of the NFL 100 celebration surrounding the league’s 100th anniversary season. But in the next 10 to 20 years, society will alleviate football altogether because of how strong it's becoming, how big it's becoming and the tenacity that it already is. The first Lions Hall of Famer to wear the iconic No. It's the greatest game for yesteryear's gladiators. "It's a great game, and I think it's the greatest game if you like gladiators. Even with all of that, I'd say, 'Heck, no,' " Barney said. "People often ask me do I miss the game, do I wish I could still play with all the money they're making today.
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He said he wishes he would have been a truck driver or a cab driver, anything other than a player suffering concussions. Speaking Friday at the Sound Mind Sound Body Camp in Southfield, Mich., the Detroit Lions great said the sport would be gone within the next two decades. NFL footage © NFL Productions LLC.Lem Barney is an NFL legend, a Hall of Famer who made his living playing football. Former Detroit Lions Hall of Famer Lem Barney and his wife are suing a Detroit-area pizza chain for racial discrimination after being refused service. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated.
