jayrebb
Naxxramas 1.0 Raider
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.
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:
- 1