Three hundred and thirty-five-pound San Francisco 49ers guard Thomas Herrion died at his locker after a preseason game on Aug. 20, 2005. He had heart disease. He was 23.
Eleven years before Herrion died, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health examined 7,000 football players and decided the life expectancy for linemen is just 52 years. According to the study, linemen also have a 52-percent greater chance of getting heart disease than other people.
Heart disease is a root problem for the NFL. The league can improve helmet technology and tackling techniques to limit concussions, but the league cannot make linemen smaller.