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I've said it before, the NFL should have "wellness" checks for all players once they leave the game (they should also be attending to current players, different issue). Screen them every couple of years, including family, and if you come up "hot" deal with it.
@PriscoCBS
NFL will soon come to this: Players sign waiver of any potential suits or else you don't play. How many sign? All of them.
NFL will soon come to this: Players sign waiver of any potential suits or else you don't play. How many sign? All of them.
Don't hate the playa, hate the game.
So does Seau's family pay back all of the money he earned during his career?
An interesting question will be if players eventually get tested for genes that are associated with a higher risk of Alzheimers-related dementia. There is already such a test for a variant of the ApoE gene that is higher correlative with late-onset Alzheimers and one could imagine that some individuals may be much more susceptible to CTE than others.
The use of genetic testing for disease-susceptiblity genes is already been used for the sickle cell trait which is why Ryan Clark of the Steelers had to sit out the Denver playoff game last year.
The use of genetic testing for disease-susceptiblity genes is already been used for the sickle cell trait which is why Ryan Clark of the Steelers had to sit out the Denver playoff game last year.
quote:Originally posted by Hungry5:
@PriscoCBS
NFL will soon come to this: Players sign waiver of any potential suits or else you don't play. How many sign? All of them.
OR, NONE of them sign and see what happens. Don't think the NFL players union would agree any time soon to signing a waiver. lol
I don't understand how they can sue the NFL and also not include the NCAA or the college they attended and even the high school they went to. I saw this for myself at our high school. A player was helped off the field, looked at by the trainer, threw up twice on the bench and yet went back into the game. I'm sure many of these guys got concussions in high school, college and the pros. Who is to say which concussion is the one that caused the most severe damage? It's just that the NFL has the seepest pockets so that is place to sue. I say go back to the beginning just to be fair.
Remember this from the Watergate hearing....what did he know and when did he know it.
From what I read the suit claims the NFL knew more about the dangers of these repeated hits and withheld that info from Seau and others. If (and it is a big if) that is true and can be proven the NFL or at least certain teams and team docs could be in hot water.
Ammo, these suits are just getting underway, I would not be surprised that they go deeper in the future, down to the college and perhaps HS level.
You were at that game and you saw that risky behavior and did not do or say anything. Not sure, but I hope I would have went to the bench area and made a fuss. That to me was child endangerment.
From what I read the suit claims the NFL knew more about the dangers of these repeated hits and withheld that info from Seau and others. If (and it is a big if) that is true and can be proven the NFL or at least certain teams and team docs could be in hot water.
Ammo, these suits are just getting underway, I would not be surprised that they go deeper in the future, down to the college and perhaps HS level.
You were at that game and you saw that risky behavior and did not do or say anything. Not sure, but I hope I would have went to the bench area and made a fuss. That to me was child endangerment.
It was the head coaches kid. The coach was also the highschool principal. When I still had kids in school do you really think it would have been good to say anything?
quote:Originally posted by Packy:
OR, NONE of them sign and see what happens. Don't think the NFL players union would agree any time soon to signing a waiver. lol
What happens? No more NFL.
quote:Originally posted by ammo:
It was the head coaches kid. The coach was also the highschool principal. When I still had kids in school do you really think it would have been good to say anything?
A true german....
Penny's bush in the hand makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Expert says:
In an op-ed for The New York Times published Monday, a forensic pathologist by the name of Bennet Omalu argued for a unique approach to football’s concussion crisis: Require children to reach the legal age of consent before they can play the sport.
“We have a legal age for drinking alcohol; for joining the military; for voting; for smoking; for driving; and for consenting to have sex,” he wrote. “We must have the same when it comes to protecting the organ that defines who we are as human beings.”
You might not know Omalu’s name off the bat, but if you’ve turned on the TV in the last month, you likely know some version of his story. Omalu is the basis of Will Smith’s character in the upcoming film “Concussion,” which depicts Omalu's fight to prove that NFL players develop the brain disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) as a direct result of football -- a link the league famously tried to discredit.
If you are a parent, you do what's best for your kid. Period. But if you think the NFL is watered down now? Imagine college football where you are seeing the 1st time a kid tackles another.
You may have a point...I wonder if there are studies on the prevalence of CTE in rugby players.
A 23-year old female British rugby player just died due to head injuries and had repeated concussions.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-35040216
Yup, concussions are a huge issue in rugby. Going head first into physical contact is never good for the head.
Outside of the helmet is a hard outer shell, meant to protect the head in a collision, but it has been weaponized over the years by players.
I say put a soft layer on the top and front of the helmet, something that will also absorb a blow, that might stop guys from targeting with their heads as well.
And if you target with the helmet yet, you have to wear one of these for the next three games
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Hockey is going to be the next big issue related to this. There is chatter in the biomedical research field that the discussion of CTE linked to that sport is about to skyrocket.
X4 needs to begin testing for CTE among posters
Fortunately, I already have a list prepared.... 
Pikes Peak posted:Remember this from the Watergate hearing....what did he know and when did he know it.
When you have CTE remembering anything is tough. I am not sure Watergate applies here. 
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/...d-cte-151631159.html
I think the end of football is in sight and I've arrived at the point where I don't think that's a bad thing.
If football is going to end, I hope the Packers win the final Superb Owl.
grignon posted:http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/...d-cte-151631159.html
I think the end of football is in sight and I've arrived at the point where I don't think that's a bad thing.
Sad case. I am conflicted about football and loving the sport while hating what it does to the athlete. Still, no athlete in any sport can compete at the highest level without it taking a physical toll in some way.
In terms of CTE, why don't we hear about the brains of boxers, MMA competitors, etc.? Is it because of the constant pounding on the heads of football players even though there might not be a concussion? Other athletes haven't donated their brains for study? 
A lot of boxers were referred to as "punch drunk" over the years. Many of them probably had CTE. Hockey players also appear to be highly susceptible.
WWE entertainers also: (from sportster.com)
Chris Benoit was a Canadian wrestler who competed from the mid-1980’s until 2007. In 2007, he murdered his wife and son, later committing suicide by hanging himself in his home gym. Benoit’s horrific actions caused re-ignition of a couple of debates. The first of these was regarding the use of steroid and other PED’s, to which many attributed his behavior. Others have claimed that Benoit had a drinking habit that more likely led to his actions.
Examination of his brain, however, led to discussion of brain trauma in professional athletes. To paraphrase the examining doctor, he had the brain of an 80 year old, and had sustained lasting damage to every section of his brain. Benoit had one of the most severe cases of CTE that examiners had ever seen. Benoit was only 40 years old.
"Take off the armor."
That solves a tiny minority of the problem. It is the accelerations that cause the brain injury. A text book tackle (head to the side, looking straight ahead; grasp the thighs and drive a shoulder through the chest to the ground) should impart enough acceleration to cause concussion in the carrier at least, without either's head hitting the other player.
I'm conflicted as well. My fandom for the Packers has more to do with their unique nature and my nativism. I lived in GB for most of my first 26 years.
I can barely stand to watch a game now. The game has become so stylized and commercialized. 3.5 hours to play regular season games with 11 minutes of action. That's flirting with baseball's level of activity. And I like baseball. I prefer estivation to hibernation.
I'm guessing it'll solve more than a tiny minority of the problem.
There'll always be a Chuck Cecil or a Ronnie Lott in the mix, but most guys who want to earn long term money, will adjust.
Of course the Norwegians would be a head of the curve. I remember this study coming out in 1991---this is just the abstract :
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2008931
It demonstrates that any head impact is going to be dangerous. Boxing in particular is brutal.
I remember being at a Traumatic Brain injury seminar 25 years ago where it was indicated that rapid cranial movements, caused by the likes of roller coaster rides, can cause a tearing of synapses that may lead to trauma difficulties. It also seems that numerous sub-concussive hits--like the pounding linemen take would be very bad.
I love the game and am really torn by all the evidence of it's dangerousness. It's hard to tell a 21 year old who can make that kind of money that he will be risking his long term existence and expect him to act accordingly. At 56 I easily say no way---at 21 I did most things without much thought of the future.
This is what's going to make football a secondary sport in about 15 years. It will be like boxing - a way out of a tough life situation for some poor kids, but not a sport that most middle class parents will want their kids to play. We did not let or encourage our son to play (and he's 6'4" 200). It's not worth it.
Having said that, I watched Packer games on TV and in person with my dad and both grandfathers. It was a bonding experience. It's hard to stop watching because it reminds me of some of the best family times I've had.