Despite the NBA and NHL playoffs’ recent kick off, it was the National Football League that dominated sports headlines yesterday.

In the morning, the league announced the suspensions of four current and former New Orleans Saints’ players who took part in the team’s bounty program in which injuring opposing players was monetarily incentivized. The lengths of the suspensions — including an entire season for defensive captain Jonathan Vilma — seem to be primarily concerned with sending a message for future players.

A few hours prior to the suspensions, the NFL announced that 12-time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau was found dead in his home, reportedly from a gunshot wound to the chest in what police are currently calling a suicide.

Although seemingly unrelated, these events are inextricably linked to the league’s role in promoting current and former player health and safety. Commissioner Roger Goodell has made statement after statement stressing his desire to prioritize player safety. But Goodell’s actions do not match the promise of his words.

Life expectancy among NFL veterans is remarkably lower than the national average. Also Alzheimer’s Disease, bipolar disorder and depression are seen in much higher rates among NFL veterans. The health benefits players receive are not enough to combat the effects of concussions and other brain injuries sustained on the field of play.

Yes, the bounty was disgusting. But trying to get rid of violence in the NFL is like trying to get rid of trans fat in donuts. By its very nature, football is incredibly violent. If Goodell means the words he speaks, he would invest more in providing retired players the proper welfare that they need. He would not be making a concerted effort to extend the NFL season to an 18-game, rather than 16-game, season. He would accept the correlation between concussions in players and the sport he oversees and would be attempting to combat it by improving equipment and medical care.

It should not take a bounty program or a former star’s tragic suicide for the NFL to wake up and do more to promote player safety because the players, who are the foundation of the NFL’s revenue, have deserved it all along.