Football, concussions and CTE - Page 2

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

We went to see this movie because a friend of ours was in it and it was filmed in Pittsburgh. What the NFL put that poor doctor through was a sin! I remember when they went after the coroner's office and the coroner himself,Cyril Wecht. They say these days that OJ sits in his cell and faces the corner talking to himself from his brain damage.Since some of these guys exhibited severe aggression and violent behavior I guess that is why he did what he did to his ex wife. Not that brain damage makes it OK.

I think parents need to not allow their kids to play violent sports like football and hockey,especially the very little kids.

Vivian · ‎03-11-2010

I have always disliked football because of the violence. CTE is not just another work-related health hazard, like carpal tunnel. Some of you may remember George Carlin's comparison of the language of baseball to that of football. It was brilliant. Football is filled with violent war metaphors. The aim of baseball is "to go home."

To me football is the modern version of the Christians and the Lions. The more attack, the more players are hurt, the more fan attention they get. My daughter refused to give permission for my grandson to play football. He played baseball instead. He had a great time and didn't get hurt. Sports should not result in brain damage. Of course every sport entails a bit of risk but nothing compares to what has happened to players in football. Are we so enamored of war games that we have turned football into a metaphor for battle? More and more players are being diagnosed with concussion. It's insane to me.

hckynutjohn · ‎06-15-2015

I don't watch any football other than our Nebraska Cornhuskers? Since I have been well versed since the very beginning of Sports Medicine Doctors and the many studies done by Sports Med Exercise Physiologists, this brain damage finding is not new to me.

They have been talking about it and studying it for many years now. As Medical Technology has advanced, so has the knowledge of those in the Sports Medicine Field. What bothers me is very young kids playing and being coached by someone that wouldn't recognize a concussion if the player called HIM, MOMMY.

This certainly is not exclusive to football by any means. In any contact sport there is always a risk of bad things happening. It is up to parents to make the decisions when it comes to "risk versus reward" when it comes to this point.

I've seen many Pro Hockey Players careers come to an early end because of concussion issues. I also saw a friend of mine, young son decide to turn down a FULL RIDE Scholarship to a major Hockey college because of "1 concussion too many".

I really felt bad for my friend and his son. This young man grew up loving this game and to see his dreams end this way? Very sad?

hckynut(john)

Noel7 · ‎03-09-2010

Yes, I think differently of the game now. I never was really a fan, but I did get into watching the 49's play for several years.

A lot of the young men who play feel that is the best way they can earn big money, provide for their family and send their kids to college. That's a real lure for them.

I don't know if they would still do that if they could fast forward and see what life with brain injuries would look like. I wouldn't want that for anyone.

milkbone · ‎10-22-2015

I played high school football and one year of college football. Ranked second in the nation.

The game has changed.

I watch LESS and LESS :-(

I look at the players today, the SIZE.

I see the illegal DRUGS many take to get to that size.

I see schools and parents and the NCAA intentionaly LOOK the other way, the DRUGS

I see kids with police records given FULL scholarships

When I was young, I watched alot, now less and less and less.

The pro's, the players UNION is NOT ever to be believed.

Live and let live.

ps

Look at the injuries the cheerleaders get :-(

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." MLK

scotnovel · ‎12-31-2013

I have been a fan for more than 50 years and I am still a fan of both college and NFL football. There are risks in every sport, some, like MMA, are much more violent than football, yet no one is talking about that sport. I am concerned about the concussions and CTE, but a lot more research needs to be done to fully understand CTE. While true that almost all of the brains studied so far had CTE, all of those player's brains were being studied because those players were showing symptoms so you would expect that most would test positive.

There are so many unanswered questions at this point. Is there something that made these players more susceptible, like an issue with a chromosome or some aspect of DNA? How often, or does, CTE occur in the non sports playing population? Is it always linked to concussions? What about the literally hundreds of thousands of players who have played the game in the last hundred years? The vast majority of them have gone on to lead full lives so why weren't they susceptible? We need lots more intensive research, and yes, stringent concussion protocols until we know something more definitive. Also it is irresponsible for so called professionals to just make declarations about people like OJ. We can't just look at a current or former football players' conduct and make unsubstantiated claims that they have CTE.

Noel7 · ‎03-09-2010

@scotnovel wrote:
I have been a fan for more than 50 years and I am still a fan of both college and NFL football. There are risks in every sport, some, like MMA, are much more violent than football, yet no one is talking about that sport. I am concerned about the concussions and CTE, but a lot more research needs to be done to fully understand CTE. While true that almost all of the brains studied so far had CTE, all of those player's brains were being studied because those players were showing symptoms so you would expect that most would test positive.

There are so many unanswered questions at this point. Is there something that made these players more susceptible, like an issue with a chromosome or some aspect of DNA? How often, or does, CTE occur in the non sports playing population? Is it always linked to concussions? What about the literally hundreds of thousands of players who have played the game in the last hundred years? The vast majority of them have gone on to lead full lives so why weren't they susceptible? We need lots more intensive research, and yes, stringent concussion protocols until we know something more definitive. Also it is irresponsible for so called professionals to just make declarations about people like OJ. We can't just look at a current or former football players' conduct and make unsubstantiated claims that they have CTE.

**************************************

Serious concussions occur in non-sports areas all the time. The difference with football concussions is that they are cumulative. It' isn't just one usually, it's several or many.

I would think an MD specializing in CTE would be able to call it from the symptoms alone.

I agree with you that more research is necessary, but in the meantime, there are precautions to take. There are new high tech helmets coming out that hopefully will help, and some teams are already having a specialist and equipment for diagnosis and threatment right on the spot.

JustJazzmom · ‎03-09-2010

The only way for CTE to be diagnosed in someone is with an autopsy (from what I understand when I watched the movie, Concussion).

Many football players are now being encouraged when they do die to donate their brains for research and autopsy.

☼The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. GBShaw☼

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

According to the movie some players committee suicide when they realize they have this disease and have become violent. They do not however do anything that will damage the brain and they leave it to be studied. So sad, poignant.

physicsnut · ‎08-26-2013

@151949 wrote:
We went to see this movie because a friend of ours was in it and it was filmed in Pittsburgh. What the NFL put that poor doctor through was a sin! I remember when they went after the coroner's office and the coroner himself,Cyril Wecht. They say these days that OJ sits in his cell and faces the corner talking to himself from his brain damage.Since some of these guys exhibited severe aggression and violent behavior I guess that is why he did what he did to his ex wife. Not that brain damage makes it OK.
I think parents need to not allow their kids to play violent sports like football and hockey,especially the very little kids.

I could care less what OJ does. He will blame his crimes on anything but himself!