For decades, the inherent dangers of football were often swept under the rug. But the reality of concussions and CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) has permanently altered how we view the sport. Medical experts now directly link football’s physicality to the head trauma and long-term brain damage that have long haunted players. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp reflected on the dangers of extreme physicality in the sport.

Sapp, a Hall of Famer, weighed in on the infamous Oklahoma drills.

“All that goes away because we know better,” Sapp told the Concussion & CTE Foundation. “When we know better, we do better. And that’s my whole thing. It’s a game of skill now more than it was, because it was just brute force. It was a brute force game, and it shouldn’t be that way. 

“The information that Dr. McKee and Boston and Chris (Nowinski) can give me, that I can actually get to [Derrick] Brooks, [John] Lynch, Ronde [Barber], Simeon [Rice], all my guys… That’s the key. This is: Can we make this game better? And the knowledge we gain from us is going to push everything forward.” 

The Oklahoma drill, known for its violent and dangerous nature, was started by Oklahoma Sooners coach Bud Wilkinson in 1947. It is a 1-on-1 drill that has two players running at each other at high speeds, eventually colliding. Head-on hits were very common, which are the leading reasons behind CTE diagnoses among NFL players. The NFL banned the drill in 2019.

Dr. Ann McKee and the Boston University CTE Center have led the parade through her neuropathological work through the UNITE Brain Bank. Back in 2023, researchers at the UNITE Brain Bank found CTE in 345 of the 376 former players’ brains they studied. Another major catalyst in the CTE conversation is Chris Nowinski. A former Harvard football player, Nowinski is the co-founder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation. Together, they are pushing the league toward safer practices. 

Even Troy Aikman recently weighed in on the CTE troubles around the NFL. Talking to Sports Illustrated, the former Cowboys star claimed that getting out of the game and not having your memory or facilities wasn’t easy. Thankfully, back in 2013, Aikman checked clear of the CTE concerns, despite suffering a nasty blow to the head in 1993. 

But for Sapp, the mission is a bit personal. By specifically naming legendary former Tampa Bay teammates like Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, Ronde Barber, and Simeon Rice, Sapp emphasized that this wasn’t just an academic discussion. His ultimate argument is that as researchers learn more about how to protect the brain, the players can remain safe and make the game better. 

Sapp’s crusade against old school football represents a cultural shift within the NFL community. By aligning with leading researchers and demanding better education for his peers, he’s proving that absorbing hits isn’t what toughness is about. It’s fighting to ensure the game becomes safer for everyone who plays it.