Posted on 01/10/2013 12:06:35 PM PST by ColdOne
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.go.com ...
“Or no helmet at all. Rugby is a tackle sport that has neither helmets nor pads.”
I love football as it is, and really loved the old days of blowing a guy up when he went over the middle. But, I don’t want people to die for my entertainment.
I’d be ok with no helmet football. And it would stop people from leading with their head. But a leather helmet, sort of like what amateur boxers wear, would stop some nasty gashes.
There’s nothing new about it. People have known about CTEs in some name or another since the 1930s, the only thing new is doing the autopsies necessary to find out just how many people, mostly athletes, suffer from it
You are correct, just me phrasing it incorrectly. I should have said “ CTE with a new football etiology”
Even that’s not very new, it was 2002 when the right autopsies were done and they started figuring out football players get it too. Honestly it’s just willful ignorance that kept us thinking football players, and anybody else that gets concussions, didn’t suffer from this for so long. Every other part of the body we know that all damage leaves something permanent, there’s always some level of permanent damage to bruises, breaks and cuts, we’ve known that for generations. Yet somehow we let ourselves believe the brain was different concussions (bruises) left no permanent damage there. Now they’ve done enough of the right autopsies where we can’t pretend anymore.
A lot of this has to do with the protective armor players wear, particularly in hockey. The irony is that the gear is intended to protect players vital parts, but actually delivers a high amount of kinetic energy upon impact, particularly to the brain. The gear makes players believe they are immune to injury, and thus encouraged to hit harder and faster than what you once saw in the 1970’s. Other than the “dirty” players like Jack Tatum and George Atkinson, you didn’t see the speed and impact back then. You certainly do now.
The NHL is aware of how the protective armor impacts the player on the receiving end. There was some discussion about softer padding on the exterior of the armor to cushion the blow delivered. Players didn’t like it because they said it restricted their movement.
“There are two sports I told my son I would not allow him to play: hockey and football.”
As an ex-canadian, I played hockey since I learned how to skate. The top major sports are full contact sports. Even the NBA when I was watching the Sonics with my uncle, I had seats 2 rows out from the basket and whenever those 6’10 guys rebound the ball, you will hear massive bone hits. Wished you reconsider on hockey as it’s not only a beautiful game but a strategic one at best.
The high amount of deaths in the early 1900s from head injuries provoked national outrage and motivated Congress and President Teddy Roosevelt to force colleges to have their players wear helmets and padding. Wearing helmets cut the deaths down drastically. Spongier helmets would be a better solution than no helmets.
If the NFL took steroid abuse seriously, that wouldn't be the case. But they don't, players have ways around the testing and they get hurt in ways that normal people wouldn't as a result of their unnatural mass and speed. If you removed steroids for real, players would deflate and the number of sever injuries would taper off. Baseball survived the tough medicine of getting serious about roids, football can too.
You and me both.
Seen too many people paralyzed but the main reason for hockey is it is amazingly expensive and my son hates skating. :)
Here’s my thing...
I am not opposed to Football. My sport was Off-Road racing I used to cover it professionally. I have cartwheeled in a Class 10 car at over 70 mph through a cactus patch. I also sat aside Ivan Stewart careening out of control through a boulder field. So I well understand the risks.
And I’d do it again knowing I could easily get killed.
Off-road race vehicles are cages of Chro-moly steel, 6 point safety harnesses, fire suits and helments.
But you can only make things so safe. In any endeavor in sport, there is risk. In some, a lot of life ending risk. People do it for the thrill, the money, the fame...whatever.
But the risks are known. And we do them. And people die. And the crowd roars.
I am not indifferent to the bad things. I just want people to realize that 1: the players know the risks and the risks unknown do not matter. 2: the crowd loves a good crash.
It’s human nature, for better or worse.
He had the full knowledge that head or other football caused injuries can lead to death.
Anything more is simply details.
From your lips (keyboard) to the football gods' ears. Go, Broncos!!
He didn’t have the knowledge that even minor concussions lead to permanent brain damage, the league had specifically told the player they didn’t.
It is gladiator combat. Always was the modern version. Just like Boxing oe MMA.
People just sleep better thinking everyone involved goes home unaffected. Thats the truth of it. No one wants to admit they are paying to watch people potentially die. But that is what happens whether they consciously think it or not.
They sit and watch humans risk their life with every hit and impact. And they sometimes are maimed or killed.
Jack Tatum did not end Football with his hit. The crowds are bigger than ever. Because human nature it to thrive on violence and conflict. It’s only morality that reins us in. So instead of swords and “The Running Man”, we watch padded helmeted football and justify ourselves.
Good for you, if I had a son (who didn't look like Obama), I wouldn't allow him to play those sports either. There's too many other sports available for them...........(but not soccer!)
I have had people tell me all sorts of things that defy common sense too. If you play a full contact sport and do not innately know you could die/whatever in ways not specified in a report or the PDR, then you lack the mental clarity to play said sport to begin with.
Dead is dead. Maimed is maimed. Does it REALLY matter how you get there? Really?
It’s not just about dieing. The chances of dieing due to football injury are incredibly slim. It’s about permanent brain damage. Which players were told wouldn’t happen, and now the science coming out is saying it’s just about guaranteed. It’s not a matter of not specified in a report, the report specifically said no long term damage would occur, the league deliberately LIED to the players.
Yeah actually it does matter. When your employer specifically says you won’t suffer long term damage working for them and that’s a deliberate lie it matters a lot.
I'm sorry, I've followed rugby for many years and in NO WAY does it even come close to the contact that occurs in professional football.........or college football for that matter.
Legally, yes it does.
Think he would have not played because of it? Think one of those stars will quit because of it? Think one fan will stop watching?
Nope.
So in the end after studies and HASS devices and whatever they dream up to defy reality, there will be another death\/injury known/buried in a study.
Rinse and repeat because i the end they will still fight and we will still watch. So no. It does not matter. Didn’t matter with Tatum and several other mega hit/injuries, won’t matter now. The games must go on.
A number of stars have retired due to head injuries. A number of parents aren’t letting their kids play the sport because of the head injury problem, so future stars WILL be kept away. There’s starting to be indications some of the fan base is leaning away from the game because of the long term health issues.
Sorry but you’re full of crap. Just look at this thread. Look at the number of people backing away from the sport and keeping their kids out of it. It DOES matter. If they can’t find a way to dramatically reduce concussions in the sport it WILL fade, if only because of the lack of inbound talent. Racing has faced similar issues, spates of death are bad for a sport.
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