On Thursday night in Chicago, N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell will welcome to the stage the best new members of his league as they are selected in the first round of the draft. Yet some of the first-round picks from 25 years ago would struggle to walk the same distance.
Extensive interviews with nearly all 25 players drafted in the first round in 1990 revealed the challenges that professional football players face once their playing careers end. Many of them were ill equipped for life away from the game. They described a debilitating physical toll that left them hobbled.