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NFL: 3 in 10 Ex-Players Face Alzheimer's, Dementia
ABC News ^ | September 12, 2014 | By MARYCLAIRE DALE

Posted on 09/12/2014 11:45:41 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

The NFL believes that nearly three in 10 former players will develop debilitating brain conditions, and that they will be stricken earlier and twice as often as the general population.

The disclosure Friday comes in data the league prepared for its proposed $765 million settlement of thousands of concussion lawsuits.

Both the league and players' lawyers estimate that 28 percent of the retirees will develop Alzheimer's disease, moderate dementia or more serious neurological problems.

That would represent nearly 6,000 of the 19,000 living former players. Dozens of them could develop Lou Gehrig's or Parkinson's disease.

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: alzheimers; concussions; dementia; nfl; nflplayers
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To: Moonman62

Unless they can develop a way to insert foam into the cranium of a player, we are looking at flag football some time in the future.


21 posted on 09/12/2014 12:03:35 PM PDT by headstamp 2
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To: headstamp 2
Unless they can develop a way to insert foam into the cranium of a player, we are looking at flag football some time in the future.

Until the robot players take over, that is.

22 posted on 09/12/2014 12:06:21 PM PDT by Steely Tom (Thank you for self-censoring.)
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To: kevslisababy

Something is going on, and I don’t think it’s football.

The incidence of peanut, gluton, and other alergies today have seemingly gone through the roof. These kids would have died in the 50s and 60s. Now they’re everywhere.

Seems to me they should broaden their study base and find out why Alzheimer’s incidence is going up across the board. I’m making an assumption here, but I believe it is.

You hear of it a lot more these days.

At any rate, piling on the NFL as an easy target is... well..., just too easy.

Football has a lot of enemies in the Left because they see it as an old throw-back to militaristic mindset. They’d love nothing more than to completely end the sport.

I’d hate to see that happen without a whole lot more research, and confirming conclusions.


23 posted on 09/12/2014 12:06:51 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Obama and the Left are maggots feeding off the flesh of the United States.)
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To: MortMan

“The numbers are meaningless unless compared to general populations. They may or may not be significant.”

Here’s where they give it away:

“Dozens of them could develop Lou Gehrig’s or Parkinson’s disease.”

Isn’t ALS a genetic disease? How would somebody catch it from playing football?


24 posted on 09/12/2014 12:07:21 PM PDT by RaveOn ("No amount of logic can shatter a faith consciously based on a lie." Lamar Keene, "True Believers")
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

If they live long enough, they all -— we all -— face it.

50% of all people at age 85 have it. This %age will grow until we figure out what is causing this epidemic of neurodegenerative diseases at all ages.

There is a REASON for all this dementia, ALS, Parkinson’s, autism, ADHD, etc. THERE IS SOMETHING WE ARE DOING WRONG.

Of course major blows to the brain don’t help but violent sports have risks. I’m more concerned with the increase in dementia for the entire world population.


25 posted on 09/12/2014 12:10:04 PM PDT by Yaelle
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To: SevenofNine; Gay State Conservative

Folks, I didn’t see that Frontline report. I want to make that crystal clear up front.

What I can say is that I was exposed to pharmaceutical studies for about 25 years. You would not believe the conflicting studies I was presented with.

As respectable as some institutions are, and I’m not trying to trash an of them here, there are generally studies out there that will show a completely different conclusion.

Be careful what you buy into 100%.


26 posted on 09/12/2014 12:10:12 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Obama and the Left are maggots feeding off the flesh of the United States.)
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To: Yaelle

Yep, exactly right!


27 posted on 09/12/2014 12:11:06 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Obama and the Left are maggots feeding off the flesh of the United States.)
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To: DoughtyOne

Omg, I didn’t even see your post before I wrote one remarkably similar.


28 posted on 09/12/2014 12:11:19 PM PDT by Yaelle
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To: Yaelle

Well, it’s true. Thinking people will remind folks of this.

What is that old saying, “Statistics lie, and liars use statistics.”

Football is EEEEVVVVIIIILLLL.

That’s essentially all you need to know here.


29 posted on 09/12/2014 12:20:07 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Obama and the Left are maggots feeding off the flesh of the United States.)
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To: wardaddy

Representing the limp-wristed and effeminate portion of our society, liberals want to get rid of football.

I would have gladly accepted the risks for a chance to play in the NFL - so would many others.


30 posted on 09/12/2014 12:21:23 PM PDT by ohioman
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To: RaveOn
Isn’t ALS a genetic disease? How would somebody catch it from playing football?

Hard hits can cause gene mutations.

31 posted on 09/12/2014 12:22:31 PM PDT by thesharkboy (posting without reading the article since 1998)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Ban all sports.

It’s the obvious nanny answer.


32 posted on 09/12/2014 12:22:46 PM PDT by Graybeard58 (Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.)
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To: Yaelle

Easy. Drugs.

Personally I have Chrons Disease. Bad. Had it since I was a kid. Multiple surgeries. Over they years I had to take bega doses of steroids to combat it and lead a semi normal life.

I now have lots of nerve signal neuro problems. The doctors 35 years ago warned me that it was a tradeoff. I accepted it. But it was a known potential. the thing is that if they make it common knowledge that drugs are a significant contributor to all our ‘new’ medical issues, a multi trillion dollar industry takes a hit. Yes, we need all manner of drugs to deal with all manner of things to extend and improve the quality of our lives in comparison to what we as humans were designed for. But they do have a cost. and we cannot always predict what that cost will be.

Thalidamide anyone?


33 posted on 09/12/2014 12:24:36 PM PDT by Norm Lenhart (How's that 'lesser evil' workin' out for ya?)
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To: thesharkboy

“Hard hits can cause gene mutations.”

I’m fairly skeptical of that, can you provide a link?


34 posted on 09/12/2014 12:26:06 PM PDT by RaveOn ("No amount of logic can shatter a faith consciously based on a lie." Lamar Keene, "True Believers")
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To: DoughtyOne
What I can say is that I was exposed to pharmaceutical studies for about 25 years. You would not believe the conflicting studies I was presented with.

As I noted in an earlier post I have a bit of experience here...both working for a neuropathologist as well as many years working with neurosurgeons,trauma surgeons and neurologists.This is an issue for medical research,just as surely as cancer,heart disease and other ailments are.If a number of respected researchers/research groups work on this issue and come up with similar findings then we can safely conclude that their findings are accurate.Repeated brain injuries of a particular type...those seen in football...hockey....boxing...car accidents..either do,or do not,result in the premature onset of certain disorders.

35 posted on 09/12/2014 12:28:29 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Islamopobia:The Irrational Fear Of Being Beheaded)
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To: Gay State Conservative
Cassius Clay was in a sport where the head is targeted over and over again. No helmet.

Football quite different.

36 posted on 09/12/2014 12:30:08 PM PDT by what's up
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To: joshua c
Back when they wore leather helmets etc.?

In those days they did not do "Head tackles," "Spearing," or play on rock-hard surfaces. In "Rugby" or "Australian Rules", helmets are not used. Those games are just as rough as American Football. Wonder what their head injury stats look like?

What about Soccer? Those look like pretty hard shots to me, even if the rest of the game is like watching varnish dry.

37 posted on 09/12/2014 12:30:17 PM PDT by Kenny Bunk (2014-2016. Whether The Republic lives or dies depends on the now-missing integrity of the the GOP.)
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To: Norm Lenhart

I’m sorry for your crohns. That has to be so hard. I know some of the digestive diseases are making progress with changes in the gut biome (population of bacteria). I don’t know if that would help with crohns as well?


38 posted on 09/12/2014 12:30:20 PM PDT by Yaelle
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To: Resolute Conservative

Yep - we just buried one of my best friends (who played on the offensive line in college with me) as he passed away from dementia in his 40’s. There is no way to prove that this was caused by football...but there’s not a whole bunch of people being diagnosed with dementia in their 30’s.


39 posted on 09/12/2014 12:30:57 PM PDT by BookmanTheJanitor
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

To all the deniers, I’m afraid this is a real issue, and all the complaints about wussification of America won’t change that. I don’t know the solution but I do believe that more and more parents won’t let their sons play high school football because of this. And if that happens where will the NFL draw their players from 10 or 15 years from now.


40 posted on 09/12/2014 12:31:37 PM PDT by jalisco555 ("My 80% friend is not my 20% enemy" - Ronald Reagan)
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