Former NFL safety Hamza Abdullah took to Twitter on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013, with a long and profane series of posts criticizing the league. According to reports from outlets including ESPN, CBS News and NESN, Abdullah compared the way the NFL treats players to slavery and described the NFL Combine as a slave trade. Several of the posts were explicit, and he later removed some of them.
Abdullah played for the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns and is the brother of former Vikings safety Husain Abdullah. Coverage at the time said his posts followed frustration over how players are evaluated and handled after injuries.
Beyond the criticism of the league, some of his tweets were personal. According to his posts, Abdullah wrote that he is married with three children and financially comfortable, yet said he sometimes does not want to wake up. Baller Alert is not in a position to say what was behind those words, and he has not been quoted explaining them. Mental health advocates often point out that messages like these can be a sign someone is struggling, and that reaching out to a friend or a professional can help.
The NFL had not publicly responded to Abdullah’s comments at the time this story was published. Many readers will understand his frustration with the league, while others will disagree with his comparisons. Either way, the conversation about how athletes are treated during and after their careers is one that keeps coming up.
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