Football is changing, It used to be that if you played High School, College, and maybe even made it to the NFL you knew you might be giving up a couple of knees, probably have back problems, and maybe a shoulder or two. Now it seems the injuries and penalties can be much worse and even devastating.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy commonly referred to as CTE is a degenerative brain disease that has been showing up in football players as young as 18. In Boxing, they commonly refer to this disease as being "punch drunk". CTE is now showing up in the pre-mature deaths of many football players who struggle with depression and having a brain that is more like a 90 year old then a 50 year old. One of the higher profile cases was the recent death of Cincinnati Bengals WR Chris Henry who had CTE at the age of 26. There are also studies that are showing former football players and European soccer players are also suffering a higher rate of "Lou Gehrig's " disease or ALS. Why soccer players? They are taking head shots from a ball traveling at a rate of 80 mph.
Many researchers had linked CTE to concussions which is accurate but the more alarming trend is evidence of CTE in players that never had a history of concussions. Chris Henry is an example of that theory. Chris never had any reported concussions and clearly had CTE after his death from jumping on a moving vehicle.
This week there have been two alarming cases for football fans and football players. The first sign was the suicide of former Chicago Bears defensive back Dave Duerson. Dave sent a text to his family moments before his death that asked for his brain to be tested and the results sent to the NFL. Dave was suffering from depression and was filing for bankruptcy.
Then today we learn of the apparent retirement of former Michigan QB Steven Threet who has one more year of eligibility left at Arizona State. Steven has had 4 concussions and suffered 2 just last year, Oct. 23 at California and Nov. 26 against UCLA . Threet told the Arizona Republic on Wednesday that he's still experiencing symptoms from the last concussion and still has headaches and has trouble sleeping. A source told ESPN that "Doctors have told him a fifth concussion could be debilitating," a source told ESPN. "You don't want to be 35 years old and can't hold up a cup of coffee."
If you need more proof, read the story about the University of Pennsylvania offensive lineman Owen Thomas who also committed suicide in college. Owen was the first college football player to have CTE and here are the chilling words from his mother: “I knew there was a missing piece,” says Thomas’ mother, the Rev. Katherine Brearley, of Allentown, Pa. “No one has given me even a hint of an explanation why Owen, at the drop of a hat, would kill himself. It’s out of all proportion and totally out of his character.”
Below is an example of the damage on the brain from CTE:
Top row: Brain sections showing dense tau protein deposition in multiple areas of frontal cortex (boxes).Bottom row: Microscopic images showing large numbers of tau-containing neurofibrillary tangles (dark brown spots) in the areas of damage. (photo from BU.edu)
If things don't change these type of head injuries will effect the long term viability of the sport we love. The NFL is starting to take this seriously now after years of not believing the evidence. It's now clearly starting to effect high school and college football as well. Question, do you want someone you love playing football? Steven you are making a great decision. Good luck to you outside of football.
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