CTE in 99% of Deceased NFL Players

[concha]

The condition was found in players all the way down to high school.

Potential serious implications for the future of the sport?

 

 

Quote

 

Overall, 177 of the brains they analyzed (87 percent) had CTE. 

It was by far the most prevalent among NFL players: they found 110 of the 111 NFL players in the study (99 percent) had the hallmarks of CTE. 

College players had the second-highest rate, with 48 out of 53 college players' brains (91 percent) diagnosed with CTE. 

They also diagnosed CTE in seven out of eight Canadian Football League players (88 percent), nine out of 14 semi-professional players (64 percent), and three out of 14 high school players (21 percent). 

 

 

[Bormio]

Not to minimize the problem, but this was of donated brains - obviously selecting a group that was more likely to have CTE since donation usually occurs when there was suspicion when the player was alive.  Still is a scary finding.

[TheRealCAJ]

Fake news.

[Nolebull813]

7 minutes ago, TheRealCAJ said:

Fake news.

Then quit watching this barbaric sport and go watch the world Knitting championships. 

Maybe you can champion to get rid of that too because people keep pricking their fingers. 

Everyone knows the risks involved in football. No one is putting a gun to anyone's head threatening them to play. 

[TheRealCAJ]

Fake thread!

[ThunderRam]

177 isn't exactly a large sample size either. More importantly, what else did those 177 people do in their lives besides play tackle football? Did they ever play soccer and take headers? Did they ever skateboard, ride dirt bikes or fall out of a tree as a kid? Were they ever involved in a significant car/motorcycle accident? Did they ever partake in boxing/MMA/wrestling or self defense training?

There are so many other things that could have occurred to these individuals beyond playing football that helped or even outright caused CTE itself. People that play football also tend to partake in other risky activities. Positioning this as if the condition is solely based upon their participation in tackle football is irresponsible, IMO. They could also state that CTE was found in 99% of the 177 men they studied. But does that mean you're overwhelming likely to get CTE simply because you're a man?

Fact is, they don't know for certain football was the prime cause. For all they know, some of these individuals could have been predisposed to get CTE due to other injuries they suffered aside or even before they even played football. Conversely, there are a ton of former players (that took lots of hits to the head too) that have never shown signs of CTE at all. Perhaps, like cancer, there's even a genetic link that makes some more likelier than others to get it. Who knows.

 

[DarterBlue]

2 hours ago, concha said:

The condition was found in players all the way down to high school.

Potential serious implications for the future of the sport?

 

 

 

There will be serious implications. I take the point that the sample was not statistically valid. However, the 99% rate in former NFL players combined with the very high rate of the college kids will lead, eventually, to significant changes in the game.

As for Nolebull's comment, the NFL actually fought for years to cover up research on the impact at the professional level. And while I am sure all knew that they were not playing tennis or soccer or baseball, I tend to think that till recently, many did not know that the majority of former professionals were going to develop serious brain injuries. It would actually be in the interest of all stakeholders to research solutions that would reduce the risk without dramatically altering the game. Failure to do so could lead to an eventual ban or significant watering down of the sport that most of us love.

[World Citizen]

4 minutes ago, DarterBlue said:

There will be serious implications. I take the point that the sample was not statistically valid. However, the 99% rate in former NFL players combined with the very high rate of the college kids will lead, eventually, to significant changes in the game.

As for Nolebull's comment, the NFL actually fought for years to cover up research on the impact at the professional level. And while I am sure all knew that they were not playing tennis or soccer or baseball, I tend to think that till recently, many did not know that the majority of former professionals were going to develop serious brain injuries. It would actually be in the interest of all stakeholders to research solutions that would reduce the risk without dramatically altering the game. Failure to do so could lead to an eventual ban or significant watering down of the sport that most of us love.

Excellent post.  

[HawgGoneIt]

I agree with DB. I'm thinking the sport will continue to take "hitting" out of the game, basically making defenses "defenseless". Not sure as to how the popularity will suffer yet though. I guess it's also possible that we could see fewer kids playing, although that seems odd considering that we have recently read stories where girls are petitioning to have their own teams etc. so it would appear more kids are wanting to play. 

I guess time will tell. 

[Gospeeder]

2 hours ago, DarterBlue said:

There will be serious implications. I take the point that the sample was not statistically valid. However, the 99% rate in former NFL players combined with the very high rate of the college kids will lead, eventually, to significant changes in the game.

As for Nolebull's comment, the NFL actually fought for years to cover up research on the impact at the professional level. And while I am sure all knew that they were not playing tennis or soccer or baseball, I tend to think that till recently, many did not know that the majority of former professionals were going to develop serious brain injuries. It would actually be in the interest of all stakeholders to research solutions that would reduce the risk without dramatically altering the game. Failure to do so could lead to an eventual ban or significant watering down of the sport that most of us love.

Unfortunately one cannot beat the laws of physics. Bigger, stronger, faster is the rule and as long as money relative to coaches keeping jobs and young athletes dreaming about the big NFL contract... it is not going to change. There is an interesting article in USA Today about Nick Saban's concerns about more and more athletes at the HS level skipping their senior year to focus on their college football hopes. Two areas that would help would be the externally padded helmets and going back to natural sod. I don't believe either will happen due to the economics.

[DarterBlue]

6 hours ago, Gospeeder said:

Unfortunately one cannot beat the laws of physics. Bigger, stronger, faster is the rule and as long as money relative to coaches keeping jobs and young athletes dreaming about the big NFL contract... it is not going to change. There is an interesting article in USA Today about Nick Saban's concerns about more and more athletes at the HS level skipping their senior year to focus on their college football hopes. Two areas that would help would be the externally padded helmets and going back to natural sod. I don't believe either will happen due to the economics.

I hope you are wrong, but fully acknowledge that it may play out that way. As a species we tend to be blinded by our short term interests. If you are right, then I believe there is a good chance, depending on how wider politics play out in the future, that changes will be imposed externally. 

[concha]

10 hours ago, Gospeeder said:

Unfortunately one cannot beat the laws of physics. Bigger, stronger, faster is the rule and as long as money relative to coaches keeping jobs and young athletes dreaming about the big NFL contract... it is not going to change. 

This.

You put all the padding and protection you like.  The fact is that the impacts caused in football will result in the human brain bouncing around inside the skull.

.

[LeftOnBase]

32 minutes ago, concha said:

This.

You put all the padding and protection you like.  The fact is that the impacts caused in football will result in the human brain bouncing around inside the skull.

.

Yep. A player doesn't have to make helmet to helmet contact. A violent hit, lower on the body, can cause the brain to twist if the player's head whips around.    

[concha]

Just now, LeftOnBase said:

Yep. A player doesn't have to make helmet to helmet contact. A violent hit, lower on the body, can cause the brain to twist if the player's head whips around.    

 

Fundamental physics.

If you are moving at speed and are stopped abruptly (or are stationary and are impacted by a substantial mass moving at speed), what happens inside your cranium?

.

.

[maxchoboian]

5 hours ago, DarterBlue said:

I hope you are wrong, but fully acknowledge that it may play out that way. As a species we tend to be blinded by our short term interests. If you are right, then I believe there is a good chance, depending on how wider politics play out in the future, that changes will be imposed externally. 

The NFL is handing out enough cash already on this to not need anything imposed externally as an impetus for change. They earmarked $100 million last Fall to go toward medical research on effects football has on the brain, along with equipment (helmet) testing. And in December they were told retired players are allowed to begin filing claims against the League -- based on number of years of service, medical professional diagnosis of head-related injuries, at what age the diagnosis occurred, etc. -- that may eventually have a tab of $1 billion to the NFL. Change is imminent when that type of money is involved.

[DiaTX]

Edit: Sorry might be a spoiler in here.

Just watched EP 2 of Last Chance U last night and Isiah Wright got rocked and I could see how that happening over and over again would take its toll.  It seemed to me the coach who came over to him was trying to push him back to getting on the field right away.  Anyways my 2c and that was probably the worst concussion reaction and aftermath I have seen but I have only seen a handful after they are taken off the field.

[ThunderRam]

Quote

When you think of prep sports concussions, you almost certainly think of football first. Yet a new study shows that football barely has the second-highest per capita rate of concussions and traumatic brain injuries among all health setbacks in a specific high school sports. The top number? Girls soccer, by a significant amount.

http://usatodayhss.com/2017/new-study-shows-that-girls-soccer-has-higher-per-capita-rate-of-concussions-than-any-other-sport

 

Where's the study of 177 brains of women that used to play youth soccer? It's been known for quite some time now that girls youth soccer has a very high rate of concussions, yet the powers that be continue their agenda and campaign almost exclusively against football. I wonder why that is. If the point was solely about awareness and protecting kids, you'd think they wouldn't be so singularly focused on a sport whose participation is nowhere close to other sports such as soccer around the world. Where's the study on former race car and motorcycle drivers, who have been involved in a myriad of crashes since the time they started racing go carts as a kid? Why aren't they campaigning against participation in those sports too?

[maxchoboian]

25 minutes ago, ThunderRam said:

 

Where's the study of 177 brains of women that used to play youth soccer? It's been known for quite some time now that girls youth soccer has a very high rate of concussions, yet the powers that be continue their agenda and campaign almost exclusively against football. I wonder why that is. If the point was solely about awareness and protecting kids, you'd think they wouldn't be so singularly focused on a sport whose participation is nowhere close to other sports such as soccer around the world. Where's the study on former race car and motorcycle drivers, who have been involved in a myriad of crashes since the time they started racing go carts as a kid? Why aren't they campaigning against participation in those sports too?

Who exactly are the "powers that be" campaigning against participation in football?

Pointing out potential side effects is not campaigning against participation. Would you rather everyone be hush-hush about what we learn over time? Who needs seat belts anyway?

[concha]

3 hours ago, Drummer61 said:

Same damage to Alcoholics,Junkies,some fighters, naturally occurring dementia...Who is trying to further damage football or is this just another "softening of manhood and sports" ?????

 

It's called "knowledge".

Don't you think players and families have a right to know the risks so that informed decisions can be made?

.

[TheRealCAJ]

Millions die from smoking every year.

Football is safe. Relax and stop the drama.

[Gospeeder]

1 hour ago, ThunderRam said:

 

Where's the study of 177 brains of women that used to play youth soccer? It's been known for quite some time now that girls youth soccer has a very high rate of concussions, yet the powers that be continue their agenda and campaign almost exclusively against football. I wonder why that is. If the point was solely about awareness and protecting kids, you'd think they wouldn't be so singularly focused on a sport whose participation is nowhere close to other sports such as soccer around the world. Where's the study on former race car and motorcycle drivers, who have been involved in a myriad of crashes since the time they started racing go carts as a kid? Why aren't they campaigning against participation in those sports too?

TR... It gets back to the money. Outside of the World Cup and Olympics, the is very little visible presence of woman's soccer relative to the major money making sports. With football its different because of the endless exposure to the public because of the revenue it brings in at all levels: from the game itself to NFL endorsed items to all of the commercial endorsements from the most marketable athletes... which is why the other studies, while put out there, take a back seat.

[golfaddict1]

Hockey came to mind while reading this thread and this is just another reminder of how Gary Bettman has been a total assclown.  

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.usatoday.com/story/97046568/

NHL can have back to back games and those who have seen NHL games live don't need my further explanation of how violent the collisions are.   

 

[golfaddict1]

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20170808/baltimore-ravens-offensive-lineman-john-urschel-retires-abruptly

Interesting athlete and a nice read.  

[LeftOnBase]

25 minutes ago, golfaddict1 said:

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20170808/baltimore-ravens-offensive-lineman-john-urschel-retires-abruptly

Interesting athlete and a nice read.  

  Nobody really thinks about ALL the sub-concussive blows to the head a lineman takes in the course of a game...let alone a season. These hits add up and the players, aren't treated with concussion protocol. 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/07/25/sports/football/nfl-cte.html?hp&target=comments

[thc6795]

CNN reports the Russians have fabricated with Trumps help CTE. The one CNN source (how you like me now) said they were in collusion with Trump because of Trumps claims that the NFL destroyed his dream. The now defunct USFL