I haven’t followed the issue very closely. I was aware of some players doing some crazy shit and then a settlement a couple of months ago. … and then I watch the PBS Frontline show. I’ve been looking for other threads on the matter and haven’t seen any.
In layman’s terms, one thing that they found is a link between the crazy shit and a pattern of protein buildups in the otherwise normal looking brain.
A few questions/comments:
IIRC, this is all based on a study of about 50 brains. They did mention the small, selective/biased sample size but how big of an issue is that for you scientific research types?
Loved the Nigerian doctor and hated some of those NFL “doctors” then I got to thinking about how it seems ok for a lawyer to lie/spin like hell on someone’s behalf but when the party does it it’s bad.
Super-agent Leigh Steinberg’s dramatic story about how one of his 25 QB’s got his bell rung …oh the drama! I experienced the same thing with a friend in high school…if Steinberg hadn’t dealt with concussions before that incident I’ll eat my shorts.
4, They identified the problem in college players and even high schoolers…their point being that it is widespread and parents better be careful. Well, if it is that widespread then there should be alot more identifiable examples than 50 right? There must be other factors involved besides head trauma.
They made a big deal about the how the NFL didn’t even acknowledge fault in the settlement…they showed a document heading and focused in on the “not an admission of fault” part and surprise, surprise … the part of the heading about the other party’s “strength of claim” fell off the page…whoops.
Didn’t I hear that some NFL players opted out of the settlement. Not enough money I’d assume. I don’t think that was mentioned.
Not much interest in the subject I guess. I wonder if it might garner more interest in a dif forum but I’ve come to the conclussion that anything sports related is going to be sent here anyway. If a Mod sees fit to move it that would be fine with me.
I’m not so much defending the NFL as I am suggesting that maybe PBS/Frontline isn’t fair and balanced.
There has been a lot of discussion of the concussion problem here, but I’m not sure how many people watched the special. I read a few articles about it but didn’t watch.
This isn’t an opinion poll. The science is new but the findings are frightening. I didn’t watch this special and not everything that was reported is brand new, but from reading about it the NFL comes off like big tobacco here: they were aware there was a problem for a while, kept it quiet while they could, tried to discredit scientists who discovered things they didn’t like, and then made some largely token gestures to make the product safer. I really think the NFL is in long term trouble here.
The only way to identify this problem right now is to cut open the person’s brain. The implication is that this is much more widespread, but we don’t know how much.
The “we’re not admitting wrongdoing” thing is typical in huge lawsuits. Most people rightly regard it as insincere.
The NFL settled the biggest lawsuit, but there are others. I’m not sure what makes the other lawsuits different.
What’s frustrating to me - and this goes beyond the PBS story - is that all of a sudden this has turned into a culture war issue. You’re starting to see more Tea Party sorts complain that people who are concerned about football players suffering crippling brain damage are pussies. It’s disgusting.
I’m actually ok with the people who take a “buyer beware” stance towards football and concussions, just like I’ll also be ok with the first state that bans tackle football for anyone under the age of 18 (and I think this is coming sooner than most think).
But I’d like the buyer beware people to quit their bitching about the information that’s being made public for the first time. Have the guts to know and understand this data while you’re enjoying the game, don’t give us the ol’ Tagliabue shuffle, cover up the facts and then have the hypocrisy to send the brain-damaged buggers home without a howdy-do.
As a die hard and lifelong football fan who played in youth and for 4 years of HS and a draft and fantasy football geek, I am certainly biased as I do not want to see the sport damaged or gone.
However I think the facts are becoming clearer by the day. I just watched the special and have read up on the subject quite a bit. My personal takeaways and beliefs are:
The NFL definitely played stupid/delayed action at best and was - at worst - complicit in hiding the facts, obstructing those who voiced alternative opinions and used their money and strong arm tactics to further the business over the health of the players.
I believe that there is a 100% correlation between concussions and the mental debilitation we have seen with players like Mike Webster, Dave Duerson and Junior Seau. That said, a 100% correlation does not mean 100% (or even remotely close to that percentage) will have the effects in later life.
The sport while still not nearly as risky as boxing, clearly has increased risk from previous thought levels and players must be educated and take that into account (how many really will care while playing and cashing those checks?)
The NFL should eventually be classified as any other high risk occupation. In that respect, the sport has just as much right to exist as test pilots, high rise construction workers, power line installers, coal miners, loggers and crab fisherman. NFL players certainly get paid better than everyone on that list.
If I were NFL lead consul I would get ahead of this and make every player and news outlet know just how dangerous it is, get waivers, consent, disclaimers, et al on every player and take the hit. The players wont dry up, trust me on that one and for the most part the fans wont care. In the end, the sport is going to shrink as some sponsors shy away… if the NFL were a stock, I would definitely not invest, but the sport and the NFL will live on… but the glory days are gone.
The ESPN Spanish comentators said during the last Packers game that some team (Rams?) had contacted Bret Favre to play again. The guys said the Favre had said "there are many periods of my life I can’t remember anymore, even something about not remembering parts of his kids childhood."I know he got hit more tan most, but he’s about my age.
The day we see a drooling Favre not remembering his first Superbowl, when he’s only 55, then shit will hit the roof.
One way to reduce concussions and other injuries would to institute very strict drug testing. The size and speed of modern players isn’t just due to better training and nutrition! Stopping the usage of steroids and human growth hormone would make players smaller and slower. Impacts wouldn’t be as hard. Plus the long term effects of such drugs can cause all kinds of physical and mental problems.
My favorite sport, bicycle racing, was (maybe still is) racked with the doping scandals in the past. Cycling now has some of the strictest drug testing including testing during the off season. The races are somewhat slower however the racing is just a good. Now the racers are on a more level playing field.
While reducing the size and speed of players certainly would not make the situation worse, I strongly believe you are over emphasizing the impact of the size and speed of today’s NFL/College players.
Case in point, all the concussions suffered by high school players who are far and away still smaller and slower than NFL players of any era.
Exactly. The problem isn’t just Traumatic Brain Injuries suffered by players while playing in the NFL, or in college (though, you’re right, they’re more likely to suffer bigger collisions). The problem seems to be endemic to the game at this point, and it seems likely that the retired players who now have CTE started suffering those injuries as young players, in high school or earlier.
I am giving this thread a bump due to the recent news about hall-of-famer Tony Dorsett and his current health issues being blamed on football. Looks like they are developing testing for CTE that is not postmortem, so they can check more current and retired players for this condition.
I think the NFL’s worst nightmare is that there will just be a steady drip of these stories for years and years and years, with lots of people’s favorite players learning they have brain damage and struggling with the effects. Dorsett is one of several who recently learned about a CTE diagnosis. The NFL is way too big to go away any time soon, but I think this is going to be a stone that drags it down.