Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy CTE

jayrebb

jayrebb

Naxxramas 1.0 Raider
13,921
13,773
Qhue said:
110 N.F.L Brains

New York Times article on the research of Dr. Ann McKee. Obvious selection bias since the families involved offered the posthumous opportunity to examine their loved ones based on a suspicion they suffered from a degenerative brain disorder. Even still it is fairly sobering to see the sorts of long term damage that is being done.
Click to expand...

There was a similar "selection bias" style incident in Massachusetts with the body of now deceased NFL player Aaron Hernandez. The Medical Examiner's office withheld the brain from the family and the Boston University CTE unit. After being pressured, the Medical Examiner claimed they would do the pairing and preservation for CTE study. The Medical Examiner's office has never performed the procedure.

Everyone knows the grip the Patriots franchise has on the media. They sit behind some big desks. I always felt the Medical Examiner was acting on behalf of the New England Patriots team interests.

Anyway they agreed to released the brain to Boston University after some litigation was filed. No determination if the Medical Examiner destroyed the brain yet or not. It wouldn't surprise me if they damaged the sample before sending it out, based on their extremely heavy resistance in turning the brain over to the proper CTE research unit.

I'm missing a little detail. The Examiner agreed to the attorney to give the brain to Boston University's CTE unit, he agreed to a set time to do that. When BU CTE researchers arrived to collect the brain from the ME, the ME refused them at the door and said they would not do any such thing and denied agreeing to transfer the brain. That is when the ME declared they will do the CTE study themselves. Then it turned into "OK we won't do the study because that sounds fucking ridiculous, so we're going to just take the CTE sample for you instead and do this very high risk preserving procedure against the express wishes of the BU CTE unit"

That's the Patriots at work-- overnight the deal changed.

Ask yourself what doctor, as a career medical examiner, is suddenly going to perform the CTE preservation process himself for the very first time? Its not arrogance, its special interests and likely pressure from the top down.

Fortunately in this instance a top gun lawyer was on top of it to stymie the Patriots Team corruption. I love the players, but I hate the heavy handed autocrat assholes in charge of it.
 
Last edited:
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
L

Lenardo

Vyemm Raider
3,567
2,474
in the past 40 years helmet tech has gotten better, thus imo safer, i mean until 1970 the helmet was essentially a plastic shell with a bit of padding. in 1970 they added air bladder padding to further absorb impacts. 80's first polycarbonate helmet, 2003, the thermoplastic urethane padding introduction..

if my kids wanted to play football, i would let them (neither boy does)
 
Palum

Palum

what Suineg set it to
23,377
33,470
Lenardo said:
in the past 40 years helmet tech has gotten better, thus imo safer, i mean until 1970 the helmet was essentially a plastic shell with a bit of padding. in 1970 they added air bladder padding to further absorb impacts. 80's first polycarbonate helmet, 2003, the thermoplastic urethane padding introduction..

if my kids wanted to play football, i would let them (neither boy does)
Click to expand...

Isn't the issue the jarring motion of the brain over time with CTE not actual instant trauma? I don't see how a helmet can really fix that part of the issue, you have to dissipate force and it has to go somewhere. The helmets aren't giant pillows or magical dampers. If you're running forward full speed then not, the brain is going to suddenly deccelerate.
 
  • 2Like
Reactions: 1 users
jayrebb

jayrebb

Naxxramas 1.0 Raider
13,921
13,773
Subclinical cumulative damage from the simple rocking back and forth of the brain, if you believe the current line of CTE research. Its just a theory though AFAIK.

Part of its based on the human species theoretically (?) having no evolutionary defense against the brain hitting the skull. As pointed out by some of the research, there are avian and mammals with legitimate evolved defenses against brain-rocking. Humans have fluid, not sponge tissue or the elastic band.

God fucked us over. On the other hand, people seem to love the ability to knock a MF'er out (myself included), so theres that.
 
Last edited:
  • 1Solidarity
Reactions: 1 user
Oblio

Oblio

Utah
<Gold Donor>
11,280
24,086
kegkilla said:
I'm sure this isn't what the NFL wants to see a month before the season kicks off.

This has gotten to the point where I think I'll encourage my kids to play soccer or hockey rather than football. CTE is no joke.
Click to expand...
I haven't talked about this at all on here because I figured the backlash would be filled with stupid comments that i just did not feel like dealing with, but I stopped watching football two years ago & I will not allow my kids to play. Two years with one exception, in a moment of weakness I watched last years Super Bowl on my tablet so my kids did not see. The decision to stop watching was hard, I have identified as a Football Player my whole life. I played in the Pac 12 (Pac 10 when I played) so did my Dad, my Brother, my Great Grandfather played Division 1. I have forgotten (probably from head trauma) more about the game than most will ever know. I loved the game, I feel like the game made me into the man I am today. It taught me work ethic, team work, how to excel in competition, how to over come/compensate for my weaknesses & pushed me past thresholds of physical work I did not know I was capable of. I always used to say "Football is a great way to prepare for life, usually what you put into it is what you get out of it, but sometimes no matter how hard you work you still get fucked."

About ten years ago (thanks to Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel) I became aware of the story displayed in the movie "Concussion" years before the movie was made. It made it hard for me to watch football & made me realize I could never coach it because I was not willing to be apart of the machine that makes kids think it is cool to go get into 60 car accidents a day. From there it morphed into I could watch it but my kids won't play to where I am now, I cannot watch it without feeling like a total hypocrite. I do not want have my kids watching me watch a game & think that is what they need to do with their athletic talents. I can no longer support the sport I love because I am deathly afraid of what my wife will have to deal with in a decade or two. Probably my biggest issue with all of it is the bullshit spin the NFL & NCAA put out there about all of it, we are only going to learn more as technology improves & I cannot imagine it will look favorable for either entity. On a side note, I do watch & support MMA. "How do I reconcile that?" some of you may ask. For starters combat sports have never claimed to be safe or be a family event. Combat sports don't lie & cover up head trauma. Combat Sports isn't all about striking, my kids do Jiu-Jitsu. Also, (this is kind of a dick comment) my kids aren't growing up poor so odds are they won't gravitate towards Boxing or MMA as an escape.

My Wife played D1 Softball too, so my kids are pretty set with their athleticism. Based on my family's athletic lineage there are good odds my kids could earn Football Scholarships, maybe not D1 but my point is they could get free educations. To me it is just not worth it. Like I mentioned above I am concerned with what will happen to me mentally in the next two decades. On top of my trauma suffered from years of football, when I was six years old I feel about twelve feet at school & fractured my skull. From ages 16 - 20 I was in more fights than I can remember & in one of them I took a Champagne Bottle to the head. So yeah, the damage has been done & I am probably fucked.

When I was younger I had a short temper in part because I was sexually molested & just angry all the time, then add in raging hormones, lifting weights & just being an all around football meathead. So the irony is after years of therapy & just becoming more chill through natural aging I feel as though I have my temper under control, I have learned to be the actor not the reactor, but every now & then I feel like I go Zero to Sixty over the littlest thing. I am pretty good at keeping it in & working through my coping mechanism etc but it is just such a cruel joke to potentially have my years of work undone by the sport I loved & helped mold me into a man.

Sorry, I know some of the content in this post probably belonged in the Grown Up Section. I had to let it out & this thread just called my name. The thoughts, feelings & emotions I just typed out are running through my head on a daily basis.
 
  • 9Solidarity
  • 2Cutler
Reactions: 10 users
kegkilla

kegkilla

The Big Mod
<Banned>
11,320
14,738
Oblio said:
I haven't talked about this at all on here because I figured the backlash would be filled with stupid comments that i just did not feel like dealing with, but I stopped watching football two years ago & I will not allow my kids to play. Two years with one exception, in a moment of weakness I watched last years Super Bowl on my tablet so my kids did not see. The decision to stop watching was hard, I have identified as a Football Player my whole life. I played in the Pac 12 (Pac 10 when I played) so did my Dad, my Brother, my Great Grandfather played Division 1. I have forgotten (probably from head trauma) more about the game than most will ever know. I loved the game, I feel like the game made me into the man I am today. It taught me work ethic, team work, how to excel in competition, how to over come/compensate for my weaknesses & pushed me past thresholds of physical work I did not know I was capable of. I always used to say "Football is a great way to prepare for life, usually what you put into it is what you get out of it, but sometimes no matter how hard you work you still get fucked."

About ten years ago (thanks to Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel) I became aware of the story displayed in the movie "Concussion" years before the movie was made. It made it hard for me to watch football & made me realize I could never coach it because I was not willing to be apart of the machine that makes kids think it is cool to go get into 60 car accidents a day. From there it morphed into I could watch it but my kids won't play to where I am now, I cannot watch it without feeling like a total hypocrite. I do not want have my kids watching me watch a game & think that is what they need to do with their athletic talents. I can no longer support the sport I love because I am deathly afraid of what my wife will have to deal with in a decade or two. Probably my biggest issue with all of it is the bullshit spin the NFL & NCAA put out there about all of it, we are only going to learn more as technology improves & I cannot imagine it will look favorable for either entity. On a side note, I do watch & support MMA. "How do I reconcile that?" some of you may ask. For starters combat sports have never claimed to be safe or be a family event. Combat sports don't lie & cover up head trauma. Combat Sports isn't all about striking, my kids do Jiu-Jitsu. Also, (this is kind of a dick comment) my kids aren't growing up poor so odds are they won't gravitate towards Boxing or MMA as an escape.

My Wife played D1 Softball too, so my kids are pretty set with their athleticism. Based on my family's athletic lineage there are good odds my kids could earn Football Scholarships, maybe not D1 but my point is they could get free educations. To me it is just not worth it. Like I mentioned above I am concerned with what will happen to me mentally in the next two decades. On top of my trauma suffered from years of football, when I was six years old I feel about twelve feet at school & fractured my skull. From ages 16 - 20 I was in more fights than I can remember & in one of them I took a Champagne Bottle to the head. So yeah, the damage has been done & I am probably fucked.

When I was younger I had a short temper in part because I was sexually molested & just angry all the time, then add in raging hormones, lifting weights & just being an all around football meathead. So the irony is after years of therapy & just becoming more chill through natural aging I feel as though I have my temper under control, I have learned to be the actor not the reactor, but every now & then I feel like I go Zero to Sixty over the littlest thing. I am pretty good at keeping it in & working through my coping mechanism etc but it is just such a cruel joke to potentially have my years of work undone by the sport I loved & helped mold me into a man.

Sorry, I know some of the content in this post probably belonged in the Grown Up Section. I had to let it out & this thread just called my name. The thoughts, feelings & emotions I just typed out are running through my head on a daily basis.
Click to expand...
thanks for sharing man. was very bold of you to just completely separate yourself from the game like that. your kids will really appreciate what you've done for them some day.
 
  • 3Solidarity
Reactions: 2 users
Oblio

Oblio

Utah
<Gold Donor>
11,280
24,086
Thanks man, I haven't gone to Alumni Events in years & it sucks because I miss my friends. I just can't go & act like there isn't an elephant in the room, so instead of going & being "THAT GUY" I just choose to avoid the whole situation.
 
kegkilla

kegkilla

The Big Mod
<Banned>
11,320
14,738
Oblio said:
Thanks man, I haven't gone to Alumni Events in years & it sucks because I miss my friends. I just can't go & act like there isn't an elephant in the room, so instead of going & being "THAT GUY" I just choose to avoid the whole situation.
Click to expand...
have you tried discussing it with any former teammates? there's a possibility others are experiencing issues from their years playing but are reluctant to come forward about it and be "that guy". it could be very cathartic to you if were able to talk about these things with someone who has been through it as well.
 
Oblio

Oblio

Utah
<Gold Donor>
11,280
24,086
kegkilla said:
have you tried discussing it with any former teammates? there's a possibility others are experiencing issues from their years playing but are reluctant to come forward about it and be "that guy". it could be very cathartic to you if were able to talk about these things with someone who has been through it as well.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but there is a time & place. A School Sponsored Alumni Event is not the time nor place. I have had one off discussions with a handful of guys, many won't let their kids play but they still watch & some of them can't see the forest through the trees
 
Last edited:
Agenor

Agenor

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
2,465
6,383
How about that sweet era before helmet/mask was mandatory in hockey for goaltenders? Sawchuk made it to the ripe old age of 40, and had untreated depression. Can't imagine why..


cut.jpg
Terry+Sawchuk+The+face+of+a+hockey+goalie+before+masks+became+standard+game+equipment,+1966.jpg
 
Jive Turkey

Jive Turkey

Karen
6,628
8,781
Lenardo said:
in the past 40 years helmet tech has gotten better, thus imo safer, i mean until 1970 the helmet was essentially a plastic shell with a bit of padding. in 1970 they added air bladder padding to further absorb impacts. 80's first polycarbonate helmet, 2003, the thermoplastic urethane padding introduction..

if my kids wanted to play football, i would let them (neither boy does)
Click to expand...

This is the problem. Take away the helmets all together and you'll wind up with fewer cases of CTE. Learn to tackle properly, don't smash through opponents with your head. You don't see the issues in rugby because they aren't using their heads like battering rams
 
jayrebb

jayrebb

Naxxramas 1.0 Raider
13,921
13,773
I remember my bud getting 3 concussions in a season. After a little bench time after each concussion they put 'em back on the field with us. He was a tackle and shorter than everybody.

I remember seeing him in the hallway after his 3rd concussion of the season, this time with brain bleeding (his final one that got him permanently benched) I just knew he was changed.

We won the division superbowl that season, state championship. The head coach, an ex-Patriot defensive lineman, was fired shortly after. They told him football had taken over the school since he'd been there and they were going in a different direction. Brutal coach brutal guy, just a fucking beast of a man. He'd be seen in the hallway bullying the administration regularly. Our running back went Ivy to Harvard full ride as team captain so at least somebody got something out of it.
 
ZyyzYzzy

ZyyzYzzy

RIP USA
<Banned>
25,295
48,789
Football is stupid. Anyone who subjects their children to it are, maybe, slightly better than tranny kid's parents
 
kegkilla

kegkilla

The Big Mod
<Banned>
11,320
14,738
the Ivy League schools will begin eliminating their Football programs in the coming decade I believe. that will be another big paradigm shift that changes the way Football is perceived.
 
Szlia

Szlia

Member
6,560
1,318
Agenor said:
How about that sweet era before helmet/mask was mandatory in hockey for goaltenders? Sawchuk made it to the ripe old age of 40, and had untreated depression. Can't imagine why..
Click to expand...

The follow up question is.... how could one even play the game when every shot at the goal could severely injure the goalkeeper? It took crazy people to be goalkeepers and psychopaths to be field players?
 
DickTrickle

DickTrickle

Definitely NOT Furor Planedefiler
12,924
14,827
Machismo? Look at all the videos of people doing dangerous "Jackass" type stuff and about 99.9% of them are men.
 
Palum

Palum

what Suineg set it to
23,377
33,470
What replaces football?

Drone/robot sports? Throw away millions in parts each season instead of millions towards idiot jocks who blow it anyway?

I basically detest watching most sports on TV.
 
kegkilla

kegkilla

The Big Mod
<Banned>
11,320
14,738
Palum said:
What replaces football?

Drone/robot sports? Throw away millions in parts each season instead of millions towards idiot jocks who blow it anyway?

I basically detest watching most sports on TV.
Click to expand...
eSports
 
  • 2Worf
  • 1Like
Reactions: 2 users
Lanx

Lanx

<Prior Amod>
60,660
132,786
Oblio said:
Thanks man, I haven't gone to Alumni Events in years & it sucks because I miss my friends. I just can't go & act like there isn't an elephant in the room, so instead of going & being "THAT GUY" I just choose to avoid the whole situation.
Click to expand...
wow for realz, you're like the drug addict that said, "fuck you" to all your drug addict friends, cuz you know eventually they'll drag you back down into hell, huh?

which is really the only real way to quit huh? Must be hard if you're also coming from a "football town", huh?
 
  • 1Cutler
Reactions: 1 user
You must log in or register to reply here.