The NFL, concussions, and the importance of Dave Duerson's suicide last Thursday

[RoryN]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Lambert

Wrestler "Brain Damage" commits suicide.

If they find CTE during an autopsy, well...ridiculous irony would be an understatement. Either that, or he had his suspicions early on.

 

[RoryN]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Graham_(wrestler)

Roughly 24 hours apart...ex-wrestler Mike Graham also commits suicide.

I will follow up as to whether or not either of them showed signs of CTE. Hopefully they will be researched.

 

[John Doe]

There's an athlete named Sweat? That's fuckin' awesome!

 

[RoryN]

Major update to this thread:

NFL Board Paid $2M to Players While League Denied Football-Concussion Link

The NFL’s retirement board awarded disability payments to at least three former players after concluding that football caused their crippling brain injuries — even as the league’s top medical experts for years consistently denied any link between the sport and long-term brain damage.

The board paid at least $2 million in disability benefits to the players in the late 1990s and 2000s, documents obtained in a joint investigation by ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” and FRONTLINE show. The approvals were outlined in previously unpublished documents and medical records (pdf) related to the 1999 disability claim of Hall of Fame center Mike Webster.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/front...while-league-denied-football-concussion-link/

This might be "it", folks. (By the way, plaintiffs total is almost 4,000 ex-players at this point.)

 

[Worm]

It is now six concussions for Cutler. The dude is not got remember his son's name in 10 years.

 

[RoryN]

It is now six concussions for Cutler. The dude is not got remember his son's name in 10 years.

To add: reports are saying that Michael Vick's current concussion is causing him to be sleepy all the time.

 

[RoryN]

Jovan Belcher, Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker, Kills Himself at Arrowhead Stadium

News reports he might have done it in front of the coaches. He killed his girlfriend first.

Details emerging...

 

[RoryN]

http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/201...ve-pattern-of-brain-injuries-study-finds?lite

Contact sports leave pattern of brain injuries, study finds

A new study from researchers at Boston University School of Medicine demonstrates the strongest connection yet between routine blows to the head and severe brain damage. NBC's Rehema Ellis reports.

By Scott Malone, Reuters

BOSTON -- Years of hits to the head in football or other contact sports lead to a distinct pattern of brain damage that begins with an athlete having trouble focusing and can eventually progress to aggression and dementia, a study released on Monday says.

Researchers examining the brains of 85 former athletes and soldiers who sustained multiple mild head injuries over their lives found the condition they developed, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, came in an "ordered and predictable" four-stage pattern.

The condition, which causes depression and erratic behavior, has attracted public concern in recent years following the high-profile suicides of former professional athletes.

Worries about chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, have prompted youth and college football programs around the United States to take steps intended to limit the number of hits to the head athletes experience in practice and games. The National Football League has banned the most dangerous helmet-on-helmet hits.

The latest study, published in the journal Brain by researchers affiliated with Boston University School of Medicine, spells out how the condition progresses through four stages that can begin with mild memory loss, progress to cognitive failure and eventually bring on aggression.

Symptoms of stage one CTE include headache and loss of attention. Stage two sufferers may face depression, outbursts of anger and short-term memory loss. Those in stage three encounter executive dysfunction and cognitive impairment. Symptoms of the most severe fourth stage include dementia, aggression and difficulty finding words.

'Dementia pugilistica'

Researchers are now able to chart CTE's progression in the brains of dead people who had suffered from the condition originally known as "dementia pugilistica" for its occurrence in boxers. But they remain unable to diagnose it in the living.

"Until we do that, we can't fully understand the risk factors, we can't understand how common it is," said Robert Stern, a Boston University professor and co-author of the study. "The goal would be to have a variety of measures of this predictive pattern in the brain while someone is alive."

Stern said he was working on tests that would diagnose the condition early, by using magnetic resonance imaging or testing for specific proteins linked to the problem.

The research found CTE was closely linked to the number of years an athlete played football, but not directly tied to the number of concussions sustained.

That suggests a steady diet of mild hits to the head, rather than a handful of more traumatic injuries, brings on CTE, Stern said.

He cautioned the condition would not develop in all athletes and suggested that concerns about CTE should not prompt parents of young players to pull their children from the sport, though he said parents should closely monitor how the game is played.

"We don't want people to feel that they're going to get this early dementia just because they had a concussion or two," Stern said. "This is a disease of total, overall repetitive brain trauma."

On Saturday, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend and then shot himself in front of the team's coach and general manager in an act that shocked fans of the National Football League. While CTE can bring on confusion, depression and violent behavior, there was no evidence Belcher's actions were related to brain injury.

Belcher was only 25 and had played in the league four seasons. Other prominent suicides involved players with longer careers including Junior Seau in May, Ray Easterling in April and Dave Duerson last year.

"An individual's suicide and aggressive behavior at such a young age is so multi-factoral, it is such a complex issue, that you can't jump to the conclusion that CTE is the cause of any individual's behavior," Stern said.

 

[RoryN]

On Thursday, Dave Duerson, an important part of the `85 Bears championship team, committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest. Right beforehand, he sent multiple text messages indicating that he wanted his brain donated for concussion research, specifically for the same chronic traumatic encephalopathy study.

Terry Long (suicide)
Andre Waters (suicide)
John Grimsley (self-inflicted gunshot wound to chest, but not called a suicide)

Doctors: Junior Seau's brain had CTE

SAN DIEGO -- Junior Seau, who committed suicide in May, two years after retiring as one of the premier linebackers in NFL history, suffered from the type of chronic brain damage that also has been found in dozens of deceased former players, five brain specialists consulted by the National Institutes of Health concluded.

Seau's ex-wife, Gina, and his oldest son, Tyler, 23, told ABC News and ESPN in an exclusive interview they were informed last week that Seau's brain had tested positive for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative disease that can lead to dementia, memory loss and depression.

"I think it's important for everyone to know that Junior did indeed suffer from CTE," Gina Seau said. "It's important that we take steps to help these players. We certainly don't want to see anything like this happen again to any of our athletes."

She said the family was told that Seau's disease resulted from "a lot of head-to-head collisions over the course of 20 years of playing in the NFL. And that it gradually, you know, developed the deterioration of his brain and his ability to think logically."

CTE is a progressive disease associated with repeated head trauma. Although long known to occur in boxers, it was not discovered in football players until 2005. Researchers at Boston University recently confirmed 50 cases of CTE in former football players, including 33 who played in the NFL.

Seau shot himself in the heart on May 2. His death stunned not only the football world but also his hometown, San Diego, where he played the first 13 years of his 20-year career. Seau led the Chargers to their first and only Super Bowl appearance and became a beloved figure in the community.

Within hours of Seau's death, Tyler Seau said he received calls from researchers hoping to secure his father's brain for study. The family ultimately chose the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., to oversee the research.

Gina Seau said the family chose the NIH because it was a "complete, comprehensive, unbiased scientific institution of the highest level."

The NFL in a statement said the NIH's "finding underscores the recognized need for additional research to accelerate a fuller understanding of CTE."

"The NFL, both directly and in partnership with the NIH, Centers for Disease Control and other leading organizations, is committed to supporting a wide range of independent medical and scientific research that will both address CTE and promote the long-term health and safety of athletes at all levels. The NFL clubs have already committed a $30 million research grant to the NIH, and we look forward to making decisions soon with the NFL Players Association on the investment of $100 million for medical research that is committed in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. We have work to do, and we're doing it," the NFL said.

The NFLPA, meanwhile, called on Congress to look into player safety in the NFL and noted it set aside $100 million when they negotiated the latest CBA for medical research.

"The only way we can improve the safety of players, restore the confidence of our fans and secure the future of our game is to insist on the same quality of medical care, informed consent and ethical standards that we expect for ourselves and for our family members. This is why the players have asked for things like independent sideline concussion experts, the certification and credentialing of all professional football medical staff and a fairer workers compensation system in professional football," the players' union said.

"Given their keen interest in Health and Safety issues in football, we call on Congressman Cummings, Congressman Issa and the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to review this issue as well.

"Our players deserve the best care, and we will fight to hold the NFL and the Clubs accountable for providing it."

Dr. Russell Lonser, the former chief of surgical neurology at the NIH, helped coordinate the study. In an interview, Dr. Lonser, who was recently named chairman of the department of neurological surgery at Ohio State University, said that because of the publicity surrounding the case, the study of Seau's brain was "blinded" to ensure its independence.

Three independent neuropathologists from outside the NIH were given unidentified tissue from three different brains; one belonged to Seau, another to a person who had suffered from Alzheimer's disease, and a third from a person with no history of traumatic brain injury or neurodegenerative disease.

Dr. Lonser said the three experts independently arrived at the same conclusion as two other government researchers: that Seau's brain showed definitive signs of CTE. Those signs included the presence of an abnormal protein called "tau" that forms neurofibrillary tangles, effectively strangling brain cells.

A statement released by the NIH said the tangles were found "within multiple regions of Mr. Seau's brain." In addition, the statement said, a small region of the left frontal lobe showed "evidence of scarring that is consistent with a small, old traumatic brain injury."

Dr. Lonser declined to name the neuropathologists who examined Seau's brain.

In addition to his previous role at NIH and, now, at Ohio State, Dr. Lonser serves as chairman of the NFL's research subcommittee, part of the league's Head, Neck & Spine Committee, which helps set policy related to concussions. Dr. Lonser said the league "was not involved in anything regarding how this brain was handled or managed at any step of the process, to be absolutely crystal clear about that."

"The NFL had no influence whatsoever," he said.

The study of CTE and football is still in its infancy. The prevalence of the disease has not been established. It cannot be diagnosed in living people, only by examining brains that are removed during autopsy.

More than 4,000 former players are suing the NFL in the federal court, alleging the league ignored and denied the link between football and brain damage, even after CTE was discovered in former players. The Seau family said it has not yet decided whether to join the lawsuits.

Seau played for three teams but never was described as having suffered a concussion.

Over the past five years, under pressure from Congress, dissenting researchers and, more recently, the lawsuits, the NFL disbanded a controversial committee on concussions that was established in 1994 under former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. The league made several rule changes and overhauled its policies to focus on head trauma and long-term cognitive problems.

Asked if she believed the NFL was slow to address the issue, Gina Seau said: "Too slow for us, yeah."

Tyler, whose mother was Junior Seau's high school sweetheart, and Gina both described dramatic changes they noticed in Seau during the final years of his life, including mood swings, depression, forgetfulness, insomnia and detachment.

"He would sometimes lose his temper," Tyler said. "He would get irritable over very small things. And he would take it out on not just myself but also other people that he was close to. And I didn't understand why."

Seau, who also played for Miami and New England, was never listed by his teams as having had a concussion.

Gina was married to Seau for 11 years and had three children with him. They divorced in 2002, but she said they remained close friends until his death. Seau sent a group text to his four children and Gina the night before he took his life.

"I love you," he wrote.

"The difference with Junior ... from an emotional standpoint (was) how detached he became emotionally," Gina said. "It was so obvious to me because early, many, many years ago, he used to be such a phenomenal communicator. If there was a problem in any relationship, whether it was between us or a relationship with one of his coaches or teammates or somewhere in the business world, he would sit down and talk about it."

Gina recalled that Seau frequently said, "Let's sit down and break bread and figure this out." She added, "He didn't run from conflict."

Tyler, Gina and her two oldest children, 19-year-old Sydney and 17-year-old Jake, all said they found some solace in the CTE diagnosis because it helped explain some of Seau's uncharacteristic behavior.

Still, it also left them conflicted that a sport so much a part of their lives had altered him so terribly.

"It definitely hurts a little bit because football was part of our lives, our childhood, for such a long time," said Sydney, a freshman at USC. "And to hear that his passion for the sport inflicted and impacted our lives, it does hurt. And I wish it didn't, because we loved it just as much as he did. And to see that this was the final outcome is really bittersweet and really sad."

ESPN's cross-platform series, "Football at a Crossroads," by "Outside the Lines," "SportsCenter," ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine, examines health issues surrounding football at all levels of the sport, from youth football, high school and college football, through semipro and professional football.
Jake, a high school junior who quit football to focus on lacrosse, added: "He lived for those games, Sunday and Monday nights, you know? And to find out that that's possibly what could've killed him or caused his death is really hard."

Tyler said he was holding tightly to his memories of getting up at 5 in the morning to lift weights with his father before heading to the beach for a workout and surfing. And while the diagnosis helps, he said, it can't compensate for his loss.

"I guess it makes it more real," he said. "It makes me realize that he wasn't invincible, because I always thought of him as being that guy. Like a lot of sons do when they look up to their dad. You know? You try to be like that man in your life. You try to mimic the things that he does. Play the game the way he did. Work the way he did. And, you know, now you look at it in a little bit different view."

Tyler added: "Is it worth it? I'm not sure. But it's not worth it for me to not have a dad. So to me it's not worth it."

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_...brain-damage-found-other-nfl-football-players

 

[RjThoughts]

What many people FAIL to realize is that the majority of head trauma occurs during training camp and practice. Repetitive drills, poor tackling form, etc, is what causes most of the damage.

 

[RoryN]

What many people FAIL to realize is that the majority of head trauma occurs during training camp and practice. Repetitive drills, poor tackling form, etc, is what causes most of the damage.

I'm not sure about that. Many pro practices aren't full contact, and many professional players have good tackling form, specifically in practice when speed isn't 100%.

This might be true if you're talking about high-school football and, to some extent, college football - and damage probably starts early. But I think what causes most of the damage for pro players is increasingly bigger and faster men slamming into each other at high intensity throughout a 2+-hour game. Position also is a huge factor.

 

[kotori]

American football is stupid. We should just give them assault rifles.

 

[sufisaint]

Almost any football player, wrestler, boxer, martial arts fighter, rodeo riders, stuntmen and the list could go on will have CTE...the real question is taking away other factors like drugs, alcohol and socioeconomic factors do they have a statistically significant incidence of suicide over the average person or probably more telling over the average alpha male type without CTE. Even so who cares...those who live buy the sword die by the sword...if you cannot take risk and pain stay home and play video games and masturbate to porn.

 

[RoryN]

Almost any football player, wrestler, boxer, martial arts fighter, rodeo riders, stuntmen and the list could go on will have CTE...

In other words, you don't know shit about CTE.

 

[sufisaint]

In other words, you don't know shit about CTE.

I know you are a whiny pussy who is obsessed with things out of his control and wants everyone to live a sheltered little insignificant life because he too afraid to come out of parents basement and live his own life.

 

[RjThoughts]

I'm not sure about that. Many pro practices aren't full contact, and many professional players have good tackling form, specifically in practice when speed isn't 100%.

This might be true if you're talking about high-school football and, to some extent, college football - and damage probably starts early. But I think what causes most of the damage for pro players is increasingly bigger and faster men slamming into each other at high intensity throughout a 2+-hour game. Position also is a huge factor.

It's true, on all levels of the game. Repetition, poor tackling form, bigger, stronger, and add to it, the "He-man" attitude of not coming out when injured because it makes you a pussy

 

[RoryN]

I know you are a whiny pussy who is obsessed with things out of his control and wants everyone to live a sheltered little insignificant life because he too afraid to come out of parents basement and live his own life.

Sure, sweetie. Next time you want to build a fantasy around who you think I am, try writing a coherent sentence.

 

[sufisaint]

Sure, sweetie. Next time you want to build a fantasy around who you think I am, try writing a coherent sentence.

We all know exactly what you are...now go upstairs and help Mom do the dishes...it is your turn on the chore list tonight.

 

[tactful]

In any sport, one should use their head to play the game, but not literally.

 

[RoryN]

Bernie Kosar undergoing treatment for brain trauma

Posted by Michael David Smith on January 10, 2013, 6:29 PM EST

We noted last month that former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar sounded so unintelligible in a radio interview that fans were concerned about his mental well-being. Kosar said the next day that he was feeling fine and surprised by the reaction to the interview, but he now acknowledges that he is getting medical treatment for brain trauma.

The good news is that Kosar says that treatment is working: Kosar says he has been under treatment from a doctor whose techniques for increasing blood flow to the brain have made Kosar feel better and sleep better.

“When I heard some of the things he was capable of doing I was bluntly a little skeptical . . . but just after a few weeks of treatment to not have the ringing in the ears, not have the headaches and to be able to sleep through the night without medications and all the stuff,” Kosar said.

Kosar said he has spoken to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about the treatments, and that he’s hoping other NFL players can benefit. We hope Kosar, who has had a string of personal, financial and health problems in his retirement, continues to feel better.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/category/rumor-mill/

 

[bra_man69]

Hey roryn let me ask you question
Do you think steroids have anything to do with cte?

 

[RoryN]

Hey roryn let me ask you question
Do you think steroids have anything to do with cte?

Have no idea if any chemical changes in the body due to steroids contribute to CTE.

I suppose it could be argued that `roid use may contribute to dulling pain signs the body gives a person to be aware there's damage...or makes the body perform above its ability, which could also contribute. Especially if there are lots of big guys doing it, and hitting one another.

 

[RoryN]

Thomas Jones fears developing CTE

Updated: January 15, 2013, 11:46 PM ET
By Jane McManus | ESPNNewYork.com

Thomas Jones, a retired running back who played for five teams in 12 NFL seasons, has decided to donate his brain to the Sports Legacy Institute to be studied for evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Jones said he has no idea how many concussions he sustained, but that he's concerned with what they could mean for his future.

"Honestly, like I couldn't give you a number because you just play with them," Jones said. "You can't know; nobody does. I think the guys counting the concussions were the ones that got knocked out."

The Sports Legacy Institute won't confirm individual donations, but a spokesperson said that more than 600 living athletes have decided to donate their brains to be studied. Of 34 neural tissue samples from NFL players, 33 had evidence of CTE. Jones said he can only guess at what has happened to his brain after 20 years of games and practices -- and numerous "baby concussions" -- through his NFL, college and high school career.

"It's like taking a fresh, ripe apple and tapping it with your thumb over and over again," Jones said.

Jones is in the editing process of a documentary series, "The NFL: The Gift or the Curse?" The first of six planned episodes, produced by Jones' company Independently Major Entertainment Films, deals with concussions and suicide.

He interviewed Ann McKee, co-director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University and co-director Chris Nowinski about the issue. Jones decided to make his donation after conducting interviews for the project.

Last week, Junior Seau's family revealed that his brain showed evidence of CTE when he committed suicide last year. This generation of players is the first to play with concrete evidence that they could be compromising not-too-distant futures by playing professional football.

In the documentary, Jones also interviewed former defensive end Adewale Ogunleye, who was drafted by the Dolphins in 2000. Ogunleye sees ominous signs in what might just be everyday forgetfulness.

"Somebody might tell me their name; I don't remember it right away," Ogunleye said. "Now I kind of laugh it off but when stuff like that happens, I'll be like, 'Damn, I hope these concussions don't come back to haunt us in the end.' And if they do, I just pray someone is there to help me through the tough times that may come."

In the rough cut, Ogunleye then puts his face in his hands. Jones comes over and puts his arm on Ogunleye's shoulder.

These issues are personal for NFL players. Jones uses the example of Dave Duerson's suicide in February of last year.

"His suicide, you see it on TV and it's just news," Jones said. "But to us, it's more than that."

Jones envisions the series as the players speaking directly to the fans about the pitfalls of playing in the NFL. He understands that many people see attaining the dream of playing in the NFL as a dream come true, but wants to show what it looks like through the eyes of the men who reached that goal.

"The fans look at it as money," Jones said, "but once you've bought everything you want, you realize there is more you want out of life."

The series also will focus on issues such as domestic violence and financial pressures. Jones is talking with possible distributors for the project.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/8848510/thomas-jones-elects-donate-brain-science-dies

 

[ChinaBandit]

I don't see how a responsible parent could allow their child to play football. I'd say no, you are not playing! The longer one plays, and the better the level of competition, the greater the probability of brain trauma.

Those involved in the game at any level SHOULD realize it faces an existential crisis.

 

[hogjack]

This is your brain on football.