NFL Season Start Marked by Tragedy
CANTON, Ohio – The NFL season began with the traditional Hall of Fame game on Thursday night, marked by an emotional moment of silence in memory of the victims of the recent shooting at the league headquarters in New York. The attacker, who targeted the NFL offices, also injured a league employee in the incident that occurred on Monday night. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reported that he visited the employee on Wednesday and that his condition is improving. Goodell also attended the funeral of New York police officer Didarul Islam, who lost his life in the shooting. Reinforced security measures were implemented at Tom Benson Stadium, where Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Antonio Gates, and Sterling Sharpe will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.The league organized a virtual meeting on Wednesday, offering employees the opportunity to connect and share resources. Goodell informed employees on Tuesday that they could work remotely at least until the end of next week due to the closure of the league’s offices. Investigations point to Shane Tamura, 27, a resident of Las Vegas, as the shooter. It is believed that Tamura was trying to reach the NFL offices after shooting several people in the building lobby and another in an office on the 33rd floor on Monday, before taking his own life. The police revealed that Tamura had a history of mental illness. A note found on his body suggested that he had a complaint against the NFL related to a supposed chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease that can only be diagnosed after death. Tamura played American football in high school in California a decade ago, but never in the NFL.This is real life, and it’s unfortunate that we live in a space where this is a possibility. It’s becoming a situation where, if you’re a parent, the first thing you think about is workplace safety for your child or your loved ones. And for it to happen specifically in the National Football League, with the start of the week tonight and the Hall of Fame on Saturday, is an example that there’s still work to be done.
Eric Allen
