Andrew Harnik/Associated Press
One player defied his team and had surgery on his damaged shoulder. Another blamed his club for not spotting a rare form of cancer sooner. Still another, according to media reports, disputed his team’s assertion that his concussion symptoms had abated.
The players — former Jets guard Kelechi Osemele, Washington Redskins tackle Trent Williams and Cincinnati Bengals tackle Cordy Glenn — had very different ailments. But what they had in common was a willingness to question their employers over how their injuries were handled, and all of them appear to have paid a financial price.