Brain Damage Reports Among Deceased NFL Players

[bijanc]

Concussion city:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/26/at ... index.html

[Pego]

I wish, people would get away from the meaningless term "concussion", as if that were not a pathological brain injury. Each head injury with altered state of consciousness leaves a mark. They tend to have a cumulative effect. It has been known about boxers for years, football players also for awhile.

[dukehjsteve]

Time for our Resident Doc ( aka bambam ) to ring in... )

[gh]

Another article along the same line

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/05/co ... l?hpt=Sbin

[Daisy]

Time for our Resident Doc ( aka bambam ) to ring in... )

I think bambam will say listen to our resident neurologist (aka pego)

[tandfman]

This is really scary:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sports/concussion-watch/new-87-deceased-nfl-players-test-positive-for-brain-disease/

[jazzcyclist]

Time for our Resident Doc ( aka bambam ) to ring in... )

Why, you don't trust pego?

[booond]

This is really scary:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontl...brain-disease/

A couple problems with the data as they have a very skewed population (people who donated their brains may think they have a problem) and a small sample plus this doesn't measure against the general public (at least I didn't see any numbers.) That said, it's pretty damning. Better choice - send kids to war or the NFL?

The NFL's numbers on concussions are laughable. Whenever the numbers are coming from the person with the most to lose the numbers can't be trusted.

[tandfman]

Frank Gifford found to have had brain disease.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/26/sports/football/frank-gifford-had-cte-family-says.html

[bambam1729]

I think bambam will say listen to our resident neurologist (aka pego)

Agree - Pego knows more on this than I do. However, a few weeks ago I spoke at a sports medicine meeting in Boston and the guy speaking just after me was Robert Cantu, the neurosurgeon who is one of the 3 main people who have really pushed the diagnosis of CTE among football players - along with neuropathologists Ann McKee of Boston University and Bennett Omulu - he's the guy the new movie and book, "Concussion", is about. I learned a ton from Cantu's talk. Was very interesting and fun to meet him.

[tandfman]

Here's another article on the subject:

http://www.ibtimes.com/what-cte-frank-gifford-junior-seau-other-nfl-players-suffered-degenerative-brain-2200581

[Atticus]

Here's another article on the subject

Interesting. I guess I missed it at the time - that Junior Seau (one of my favorite players) had CTE. That's really eff-ed up.
The NFL is just now investing in the kinds of new helmet technology that could actually make a difference. The current one, tho hyped for its 'safety', is worthless. All you have to do is read the injury reports every week.
Case Keenum, much?

[booond]

The player's union is as at fault as NFL management. They knew this was happening but weren't aggressive enough or downright complicit in the coverup - Gene Upshaw looking at you.

A third entity needs to manage the player's health in game. The team and the player can't be trusted.

[Atticus]

players can't be trusted.

Agreed. And that's particularly eff-ed up, because it is NOT just about the $$$; it's also their self-image and ego. They want to play the game so bad, they're willing to gamble on their future health and happiness.

[jazzcyclist]

Agreed. And that's particularly eff-ed up, because it is NOT just about the $$$; it's also their self-image and ego. They want to play the game so bad, they're willing to gamble on their future health and happiness.

Once a player is severely concussed, as opposed to slightly concussed, he lacks the mental capacity to make such decisions. Usually the player has no recollection of the game after being concussed, and from that point on, they're on autopilot. It is sort of like being slightly drunk versus sloppy drunk. I've taken the keys from friends who were sloppy drunk without much resistance. In these cases, the person no longer had the self-awareness to realize that they shouldn't be driving, but they did trust my judgement, which is why they didn't protest. If these same friends had only been slightly drunk, they probably would have decided on their own that they shouldn't be driving.