NY Daily News
A painfully awkward moment happened Monday during a fan forum at Jets training camp, after rookie safety Jamal Adams — the team’s first-round draft pick — said he’d prefer to die on the football field, over anywhere else, Darryl Slater of the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Many — but not all — of the approximately 150 Jets fans in attendance applauded Adams after he said this.
Adams was on stage for the forum with veteran running back Matt Forte and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, whose league has come under fire for long-term, debilitating brain injuries caused by playing football.
Adams’ comment came up during a discussion about football-related brain damage.
This was his full quote:
“I’m all about making the game safer, but as a defensive player, I’m not a big fan of it. But I get it. I can speak for a lot of guys that play the game. We live and breathe [football]. This is what we’re so passionate about. Literally, if I had a perfect place to die, I would die on the field. And that’s not a lie. There’s so much sacrifice that we go through as a team, and just connecting as one and winning ball games. There’s nothing like playing the game of football. But again, I’m all about making the game safer.”
After the fan forum, Goodell was asked about Adams’ comment, during a brief media session.
“I think what he was really making the point of is how much he loves the game,” Goodell said. “It’s just something that means a great deal to him. I get the emotion of that.”
Goodell was asked if it was uncomfortable for him when fans applauded Adams’ comments.
“I think fans understood the emotion of what he was saying,” Goodell said. “Which is: We love the game. I think they love the game. But I don’t think anyone took it as directly as that.”
August 18th, 2017 
Chris Hines 
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