Physical Therapy in the NFL

So I'm watching the Redskins Seahawks game today. Find out Jansen on the Redskins is playing with two broken thumbs. Chuwabiddah??? (Translation: Say what?) My anatomy teacher is a huge sports buff and was just talking last week about professional athletes and how they get injured, get surgery, and get back to work way too fast. I think this is a prime example. It honestly boggled my mind to see the cast/splint they put on this Jansen's hands. The guy is playing football with broken bones. How is this alright?

Physical therapy for football players has to be somewhat of a joke. I mean, in school I'm learning about the importance of successful recovery and rehabilitation. I hear about all these different injuries that can happen and how physical therapists can help to improve these people's lives and prevent reinjury. A PT in the NFL must think to herself or himself "What am I doing? I'm merely providing temporary help. After I work with these players they are just going to injure themselves all over again in one way or another. And I know in the back of my mind that these guys are going to have major health problems as they get older." But then again, in PT school you also learn about taking care of the needs of the patient and helping them to achieve their goals. And often what you think their goal should be is not what they want. But our job is to get them to their goals. So I guess for the NFL PTs their job is to get their patients back to the field as soon as possible.