CelticsStrong
Other Discussions => Other / General Sports => Patriots / Football => Topic started by: fairweatherfan on September 21, 2017, 04:34:24 PM
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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/21/sports/aaron-hernandez-cte-brain.html (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/21/sports/aaron-hernandez-cte-brain.html)
An autopsy of Hernandez' brain revealed Stage 3 CTE, reportedly the most severe case ever found in someone so young. His fiancee is apparently suing the Patriots and NFL on behalf of his daughter.
Obviously the NFL has a major, major problem with CTE in their players. But on top of that, severe brain damage creates some thorny moral questions* about how personally culpable someone is for terrible behavior like Hernandez'. Just curious to hear people's thoughts about this.
*Just to stem off any silliness, "let him get away with it" is not a valid answer to any of those questions.
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No doubt football played a role but I'm curious how much (if any), that hallucinogens would have on it also. Plenty of reports out there that he was using.
Either way, this CTE thing won't be going away for the NFL.
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No doubt football played a role but I'm curious how much (if any), that hallucinogens would have on it also. Plenty of reports out there that he was using.
Either way, this CTE thing won't be going away for the NFL.
It's really really hard to pin down a single cause for someone being extraordinarily violent to the point of murder.
But when you have a form of brain damage whose major symptoms include loss of impulse and emotional control...it's very hard to say it didn't at least change the odds of crossing those lines. And when that form of brain damage was almost certainly caused by the perpetrator's job, and they'd been denying and downplaying it for years, you have the potential for a major liability issue too.
And beyond Hernandez' specific case, the NFL has a WWE-level tragedy unfolding with its athletes. And if they start finding this damage occurring in underage players and no good ways of preventing it, the whole sport could legitimately be done for in America.
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Does every player get a physical before the start of training camp? Are CTE scans part of that process?
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Does every player get a physical before the start of training camp? Are CTE scans part of that process?
It can only be diagnosed post-mortem at this point, they need direct access to the tissue.
Here's a pic of Hernandez' brain tissue they released.
(https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--gMbph6uv--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/p7mfuhamjuk6exhq1ufg.png)
Literal holes in his brain.
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I wonder if the family of Odin Lloyd now has a case to sue the Patriots, NFL, and University of Florida because if CTE can cause suicidal episodes, couldn't they just as easily cause homicidal episodes?
Going to be interesting to follow this story.
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personally, i hope they simply ban football given it is a blood sport.
i wonder if it would carry the same appeal, or close to it, if players had lots more padding and could not hit each other with such force.
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I wonder if the family of Odin Lloyd now has a case to sue the Patriots, NFL, and University of Florida because if CTE can cause suicidal episodes, couldn't they just as easily cause homicidal episodes?
Going to be interesting to follow this story.
the patriots, the university of Florida, and the nfl did not put a gun to anyone's head to play football.
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personally, i hope they simply ban football given it is a blood sport.
i wonder if it would carry the same appeal, or close to it, if players had lots more padding and could not hit each other with such force.
padding doesn't stop the brain from shaking violently. This had been explained over and over. You can put 10 pillows around the helmets and you can still shake the brain
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I'd love to hear CTE discussed more broadly than just in terms of NFL players. An article I read sited that 110 out of 111 NFL players autopsied have shown evidence of CTE. I'd love to understand how different that is from a pool of hockey players, soccer players, basketball players, and the general population.
Also, since Hernandez was so young with such a severe case, are their other factors that contribute directly to CTE beyond just head trauma from football. Does drug/steroid use impact the rate of deterioration? Are there other, more basic kinds of trauma (a concussion from a car accident, for example) that are likely to lead to CTE?
CTE is a BIG PR problem for the NFL, but I wish when it was discussed in the media they'd put it in broader context since it is a relatively new disease being discussed by the general public.
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3 years ago I gave the NFL 20 years before it is basically irrelevant (no longer a "big 4" sport).
Im sticking with that timeline. In 17 years the MLS will be more popular.
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personally, i hope they simply ban football given it is a blood sport.
i wonder if it would carry the same appeal, or close to it, if players had lots more padding and could not hit each other with such force.
Consenting adults should be free to do whatever they wish with their own bodies. Any attempt to argue otherwise is unethical.
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personally, i hope they simply ban football given it is a blood sport.
i wonder if it would carry the same appeal, or close to it, if players had lots more padding and could not hit each other with such force.
Consenting adults should be free to do whatever they wish with their own bodies. Any attempt to argue otherwise is unethical.
Sure, as long as they are properly educated from a young age about the major risks they are taking. Would any parent want their kid to play football if they properly understand what the risks are?
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i see NFL going the way of NASCAR
changing times
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The NFL has a major CTE problem, sure, but to me the bigger problem is for amateur sports, especially high school and the NCAA.
I can justify following a sport that is essentially a blood sport when I know the players involved are making many, many times what they could ever hope to earn in a "normal" profession given their level of education and skills outside of that sport.
There are lots of industries where workers agree to do heavy, dangerous labor for long hours week after week, inevitably resulting in their bodies failing at a young age, in exchange for a much larger paycheck than they would receive in a safer job with comparable educational and skill requirements. We as a society don't have a problem with those jobs existing. We don't mind the idea that a person might choose to sacrifice their own health in order to provide for their family.
What about all of the players who are very serious about football from a young age up through their senior year of college, and never earn a single paycheck for playing?
I suspect many of them end up with very significant CTE, even if it's not at the same level as guys who play in the NFL for 5, 10, 15 years.
I feel that it is much harder to justify being a fan of amateur football, from a moral perspective, than it is to justify NFL fandom.
Of course, the question that is raised by these findings with Hernandez is what liability should the NFL have toward the victims of players who commit violent acts which can likely be proven to be made possible at least in part by frequent head trauma?
I would say the NFL needs to make sure they have a huge pool of funds set aside for settling such lawsuits. I imagine they do. I would guess they've had one for a long, long time.
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He was apparently gang affiliated and a psychopath before joining the Pats. I don't see them having any legal or moral culpability, other than providing a scum bag of a human being the resources and celebrity to further his criminal activities.
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personally, i hope they simply ban football given it is a blood sport.
i wonder if it would carry the same appeal, or close to it, if players had lots more padding and could not hit each other with such force.
Lol wow.
This is sad.
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personally, i hope they simply ban football given it is a blood sport.
i wonder if it would carry the same appeal, or close to it, if players had lots more padding and could not hit each other with such force.
Consenting adults should be free to do whatever they wish with their own bodies. Any attempt to argue otherwise is unethical.
What if the consequences of their actions involve other people?
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I'd love to hear CTE discussed more broadly than just in terms of NFL players. An article I read sited that 110 out of 111 NFL players autopsied have shown evidence of CTE. I'd love to understand how different that is from a pool of hockey players, soccer players, basketball players, and the general population.
It's important to note that those 111 players were in the study because they suspected they had CTE before they passed. It's a very biased sample, which to their credit the researchers have made very prominent when discussing their results. So it's unlikely 99% of all players have CTE, but it's still probably a shockingly high percentage.
I agree that appropriate control groups are crucial to figuring out how much of this is coming from football. The best we can say at this point is that CTE appears to be extremely rare in brains that are autopsied for other reasons.
personally, i hope they simply ban football given it is a blood sport.
I don't want it banned, though if CTE is found to originate at early ages insurance costs at lower levels could quickly become so onerous that it dies out on its own.
But I can't really watch it anymore either. I can pinpoint the exact moment I turned on football. I was watching some bowl game and the recently retired Hines Ward was a commentator. The other commentator mentioned that Ward had had a great game in that bowl when he played for Georgia, won the MVP or something. Ward laughed and said (paraphrased), "they tell me I played a great game; I got my bell rung early on and don't remember any of it after that." CTE stories were starting to come out by that point but that was just sickening to hear.
Knowing I'd inevitably be watching guys incur permanent brain damage and keep playing...I just had no stomach for it anymore. I go to Super Bowl parties and the like but outside of that I can't watch, especially with the amateurs that'll mostly never see a paycheck for their damage.
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He was apparently gang affiliated and a psychopath before joining the Pats. I don't see them having any legal or moral culpability, other than providing a scum bag of a human being the resources and celebrity to further his criminal activities.
This is something that shouldn't be overlooked. Prior to being an nfl player he was not a good person by any means. Did CTE happen in college or before that? I think he might be a case for CTE not being much of an attribute to him being a Edited. Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline. head.
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He was apparently gang affiliated and a psychopath before joining the Pats. I don't see them having any legal or moral culpability, other than providing a scum bag of a human being the resources and celebrity to further his criminal activities.
This is something that shouldn't be overlooked. Prior to being an nfl player he was not a good person by any means. Did CTE happen in college or before that? I think he might be a case for CTE not being much of an attribute to him being a **** head.
Yup. You guys nailed it. Living in Florida for 12-years I've worked with or met numerous people who knew Hernandez while at U.F., some of whom quite well, and they all said he was an awful person who acted like a thug, never did any homework, and got away with a ton. Time to own up to who he is, CTE or not.
If his family truly does file a lawsuit, then I hope anyone negatively affected him by files a lawsuit against him
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I didn't know his brain was being autopsied. Man, tough situation for every one involved. I'm not a neuropathologist, but it's surprising to see that level of insult in a 20-something brain - football player or otherwise.
I'd love to hear CTE discussed more broadly than just in terms of NFL players. An article I read sited that 110 out of 111 NFL players autopsied have shown evidence of CTE. I'd love to understand how different that is from a pool of hockey players, soccer players, basketball players, and the general population.
It's important to note that those 111 players were in the study because they suspected they had CTE before they passed. It's a very biased sample, which to their credit the researchers have made very prominent when discussing their results. So it's unlikely 99% of all players have CTE, but it's still probably a shockingly high percentage.
I agree that appropriate control groups are crucial to figuring out how much of this is coming from football. The best we can say at this point is that CTE appears to be extremely rare in brains that are autopsied for other reasons.
Fair points. SI is reporting that 270/425 brains studied at VA Boston were consistent with CTE. I hadn't read the recent paper you referenced, but it was in a major journal (JAMA) and I'm glad to hear they were forthright in reporting their findings.
personally, i hope they simply ban football given it is a blood sport.
I don't want it banned, though if CTE is found to originate at early ages insurance costs at lower levels could quickly become so onerous that it dies out on its own.
Yeah, as you said, there's just so much unknown and longitudinal studies will take time. I wonder if legal issues from these cases alone could comprise the NFL's status, though, before harder evidence is presented. And I'm sure research efforts will identify earlier effects, tricky as it may be with developing brains.
I'm passionate about this issue, and Hernandez's case in general. Without intending to be inflammatory, I thought it was worthwhile to seriously consider how mental health issues contributed to his actions prior to this story. With his trauma history and likely (related) personality disorder, I would imagine that increases risk of further brain insult (like CTE). That's something else to think about -- athletes coming from impoverished backgrounds are less likely to have the cognitive, or brain "reserve" that can challenge early pathology.
With what I've read about the researchers mentioned in the article (McKee and Stern), they're going to continue to pursue their mission aggressively, in the lab and courts. I tend to agree that athletes should be given a choice to play, but with major caveats: a) research efforts need to ramp up, b) athletes and families need to be aware of all potential risks involved, and c) far greater protection should be applied in youth sports, where kids often don't have the liberty to choose whether or not they play.
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He was apparently gang affiliated and a psychopath before joining the Pats. I don't see them having any legal or moral culpability, other than providing a scum bag of a human being the resources and celebrity to further his criminal activities.
This is something that shouldn't be overlooked. Prior to being an nfl player he was not a good person by any means. Did CTE happen in college or before that? I think he might be a case for CTE not being much of an attribute to him being a **** head.
Yup. You guys nailed it. Living in Florida for 12-years I've worked with or met numerous people who knew Hernandez while at U.F., some of whom quite well, and they all said he was an awful person who acted like a thug, never did any homework, and got away with a ton. Time to own up to who he is, CTE or not.
If his family truly does file a lawsuit, then I hope anyone negatively affected him by files a lawsuit against him
Time for who to own up on who he is?
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I'd love to hear CTE discussed more broadly than just in terms of NFL players. An article I read sited that 110 out of 111 NFL players autopsied have shown evidence of CTE. I'd love to understand how different that is from a pool of hockey players, soccer players, basketball players, and the general population.
Also, since Hernandez was so young with such a severe case, are their other factors that contribute directly to CTE beyond just head trauma from football. Does drug/steroid use impact the rate of deterioration? Are there other, more basic kinds of trauma (a concussion from a car accident, for example) that are likely to lead to CTE?
CTE is a BIG PR problem for the NFL, but I wish when it was discussed in the media they'd put it in broader context since it is a relatively new disease being discussed by the general public.
oversimplified. cte is not Just merely a pr problem . Its an existential problem for the NFL and sport of football ..
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I didn't know his brain was being autopsied. Man, tough situation for every one involved. I'm not a neuropathologist, but it's surprising to see that level of insult in a 20-something brain - football player or otherwise.
It's become an almost standard practice among the families of former NFL players to hand over the brain for examination after their death, with some players even requesting that their brains be denoted to science often in suicide notes before committing the act, unfortunately. It's really sad.
I'd love to hear CTE discussed more broadly than just in terms of NFL players. An article I read sited that 110 out of 111 NFL players autopsied have shown evidence of CTE. I'd love to understand how different that is from a pool of hockey players, soccer players, basketball players, and the general population.
It's important to note that those 111 players were in the study because they suspected they had CTE before they passed. It's a very biased sample, which to their credit the researchers have made very prominent when discussing their results. So it's unlikely 99% of all players have CTE, but it's still probably a shockingly high percentage.
I agree that appropriate control groups are crucial to figuring out how much of this is coming from football. The best we can say at this point is that CTE appears to be extremely rare in brains that are autopsied for other reasons.
Fair points. SI is reporting that 270/425 brains studied at VA Boston were consistent with CTE. I hadn't read the recent paper you referenced, but it was in a major journal (JAMA) and I'm glad to hear they were forthright in reporting their findings.
personally, i hope they simply ban football given it is a blood sport.
I don't want it banned, though if CTE is found to originate at early ages insurance costs at lower levels could quickly become so onerous that it dies out on its own.
Yeah, as you said, there's just so much unknown and longitudinal studies will take time. I wonder if legal issues from these cases alone could comprise the NFL's status, though, before harder evidence is presented. And I'm sure research efforts will identify earlier effects, tricky as it may be with developing brains.
I'm passionate about this issue, and Hernandez's case in general. Without intending to be inflammatory, I thought it was worthwhile to seriously consider how mental health issues contributed to his actions prior to this story. With his trauma history and likely (related) personality disorder, I would imagine that increases risk of further brain insult (like CTE). That's something else to think about -- athletes coming from impoverished backgrounds are less likely to have the cognitive, or brain "reserve" that can challenge early pathology.
I just applied for a position at VA Boston. That'd be a dream job. With what I know about the researchers mentioned in the article (McKee and Stern), they're going to continue to pursue their mission aggressively, in the lab and courts.
I tend to agree that athletes should be given a choice to play, but with major caveats: a) research efforts need to ramp up, b) athletes and families need to be aware of all potential risks involved, and c) far greater protection should be applied in youth sports, where kids often don't have the liberty to choose whether or not they play.
Have you seen Frontline's special The League of Denial, because all of the research has already been done. All the NFL is doing is the typical - and sickening, if I do say so, myself - delaying tactic of saying that, "this subject obviously requires further and more in depth study," ::) which, like I said, has already been conducted by the guy who discovered it in 2002, Dr. Bennet Omalu.
Don't be mistaken, the league's own testing has, in fact, known of the problem through its own research, but has, for years now, purposely published inaccurate studies in many prominent medical journals and has gone so far as to call Omalu a quack, even though the passage of time has only vindicated the latter. It's really appalling, but I guess that there's just too much money involved for people to actually have the balls to do anything about it. Every time I see Tom Brady, now, all I can think is, "enjoy him now, Gisele, before he turns into a vegetable in the not-too-distant future."
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I'd love to hear CTE discussed more broadly than just in terms of NFL players. An article I read sited that 110 out of 111 NFL players autopsied have shown evidence of CTE. I'd love to understand how different that is from a pool of hockey players, soccer players, basketball players, and the general population.
While I'm not sure that CTE applies to basketball - I know that it's a contact sport but rarely do guys suffer head injuries, thankfully - I seem to recall hearing that soccer is at least starting to outlaw headers at the junior levels (high school and below, I believe), which, naturally, is during a critical time for brain development, so that's good to see, although I wouldn't quote me on that, but regarding hockey, are you talking about the sport played at the Olympics or boxing on ice, I mean, the NHL? ::) It's surprising to me that we have yet to hear about former players in that league at least showing symptoms similar to CTE given the amount of thuggery routinely put on display. At least NBA refs try to break things up. In hockey, they just stand back and let it happen. #OnMyBreak ::)
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I'd love to hear CTE discussed more broadly than just in terms of NFL players. An article I read sited that 110 out of 111 NFL players autopsied have shown evidence of CTE. I'd love to understand how different that is from a pool of hockey players, soccer players, basketball players, and the general population.
While I'm not sure that CTE applies to basketball - I know that it's a contact sport but rarely do guys suffer head injuries, thankfully - I seem to recall hearing that soccer is at least starting to outlaw headers at the junior levels (high school and below, I believe), which, naturally, is during a critical time for brain development, so that's good to see, although I wouldn't quote me on that, but regarding hockey, are you talking about the sport played at the Olympics or boxing on ice, I mean, the NHL? ::) It's surprising to me that we have yet to hear about former players in that league at least showing symptoms similar to CTE given the amount of thuggery routinely put on display. At least NBA refs try to break things up. In hockey, they just stand back and let it happen. #OnMyBreak ::)
I googled it and yes, there is a ban for young ages in the US.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/12/29/pfa-urges-fa-consider-ban-heading-children-10/
https://www.theringer.com/2017/4/25/16041684/us-soccer-header-ban-concussions-4805684f63ca
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CTE is a real deal and a bad thing. But this guy, God rest his soul, was a bad apple long before he played in the NFL. Soldiers get much worse CTE from the concussions of blasts and there are ove 115,000 of them who have had TBI injuries.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/do-combat-vets-suffer-the-same-devastating-brain-disease-afflicting-football-players/
Hernandez starting have issues much younger after the death of his father.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1685469-complete-timeline-of-the-rise-fall-of-aaron-hernandez
I know some will read this and state it was the death of his father that set him down the path. The bottom line is we make choices, Mr. Hernandez made a lot of bad choices and got caught up in that lifestyle. CTE may have made him worse but it was those choices that set him down that road.
I guess he joined the Bloods in prison.
https://www.courthousenews.com/records-link-aaron-hernandez-bloods-street-gang/
There is a disturbing trend in society today to not hold people accountable for their actions or choices. This is little more than a rationalization how someone we once admired and liked could commit such a heineous crime or act. Its happening with CTE, yes it caused mental problems, mood swings and depression but not everyone acts on these feelings. It is happening with heroin now, too, and it won't lead us to a good place.
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I'd love to hear CTE discussed more broadly than just in terms of NFL players. An article I read sited that 110 out of 111 NFL players autopsied have shown evidence of CTE. I'd love to understand how different that is from a pool of hockey players, soccer players, basketball players, and the general population.
While I'm not sure that CTE applies to basketball - I know that it's a contact sport but rarely do guys suffer head injuries, thankfully - I seem to recall hearing that soccer is at least starting to outlaw headers at the junior levels (high school and below, I believe), which, naturally, is during a critical time for brain development, so that's good to see, although I wouldn't quote me on that, but regarding hockey, are you talking about the sport played at the Olympics or boxing on ice, I mean, the NHL? ::) It's surprising to me that we have yet to hear about former players in that league at least showing symptoms similar to CTE given the amount of thuggery routinely put on display. At least NBA refs try to break things up. In hockey, they just stand back and let it happen. #OnMyBreak ::)
There are two recorded cases in the NHL: Bob Probert and Reggie Flemming. Although they might as well have just looked at any career boxer instead...
My problem with hockey is not the fighting (you can get rid of that) -- it is that the head could become a target, deliberately or not, on routine plays. Moreover, players likely get subconcussive brain trauma every time they get checked into the boards even on clean plays.
Same thing with soccer and heading the ball. That's been documented a bit better than hockey:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/14/health/brain-damage-dementia-cte-soccer-football-study/index.html
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personally, i hope they simply ban football given it is a blood sport.
i wonder if it would carry the same appeal, or close to it, if players had lots more padding and could not hit each other with such force.
Consenting adults should be free to do whatever they wish with their own bodies. Any attempt to argue otherwise is unethical.
But WHAT IF in the future they are able to determine such a strong link between football and CTE (and possible other sports and CTE) that they can loosely describe football as causal factor, AND ALSO link CTE so strongly to violent crimes like domestic abuse, homicide, and suicide, that they can loosely describe CTE as a causal factor in those crimes? Do people then have a right to engage in activities that reliably and predictably result in crimes?
Don't know if this will happen. But if it did, to ignore and allow it could certainly be argued to be unethical as well.
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I'd love to hear CTE discussed more broadly than just in terms of NFL players. An article I read sited that 110 out of 111 NFL players autopsied have shown evidence of CTE. I'd love to understand how different that is from a pool of hockey players, soccer players, basketball players, and the general population.
While I'm not sure that CTE applies to basketball - I know that it's a contact sport but rarely do guys suffer head injuries, thankfully - I seem to recall hearing that soccer is at least starting to outlaw headers at the junior levels (high school and below, I believe), which, naturally, is during a critical time for brain development, so that's good to see, although I wouldn't quote me on that, but regarding hockey, are you talking about the sport played at the Olympics or boxing on ice, I mean, the NHL? ::) It's surprising to me that we have yet to hear about former players in that league at least showing symptoms similar to CTE given the amount of thuggery routinely put on display. At least NBA refs try to break things up. In hockey, they just stand back and let it happen. #OnMyBreak ::)
There are two recorded cases in the NHL: Bob Probert and Reggie Flemming. Although they might as well have just looked at any career boxer instead...
My problem with hockey is not the fighting (you can get rid of that) -- it is that the head could become a target, deliberately or not, on routine plays. Moreover, players likely get subconcussive brain trauma every time they get checked into the boards even on clean plays.
Same thing with soccer and heading the ball. That's been documented a bit better than hockey:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/14/health/brain-damage-dementia-cte-soccer-football-study/index.html
Thanks for the info - TP :).
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Again I'm wondering why the NCAA doesn't get more of a focus in this, rather than the NFL.
I suppose it's all NFL players who have submitted their brains for this.
To me, the idea that there are people, probably many people, who played football every year from their freshman year of high school through their senior year of college and never even got a college degree, let alone were paid for their services, is much more troubling. Likely many of those folks have some degree of CTE as well, without the lifetime earnings to go with it.
The NFL makes a lot of money off of their blood sport exhibitions, but so does the NCAA. So do many high schools in the south.
AND, on top of that, if you suffer brain damage from football in high school or college, when you are not an employee, you cannot later get coverage for your medical bills through workers' comp --- NFL players can.
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With this growing CTE issue, did the NFL benefit from the protests on Sunday? Was it a helpful distraction?
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To me, the idea that there are people, probably many people, who played football every year from their freshman year of high school through their senior year of college and never even got a college degree, let alone were paid for their services, is much more troubling. Likely many of those folks have some degree of CTE as well, without the lifetime earnings to go with it.
You think that is bad try soldiers, they are exposed to concussive blasts that are way more damaging than football. I read this:
The number of veterans at risk is large: traumatic brain injury caused by explosive blasts is thought to afflict about 20 percent of the 2.3 million servicemen and women deployed in combat since 2001, according to a team of researchers from Boston University, New York Medical College and the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soldier-blast-chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy-cte/
Many more people than in football. About 460,000 possibly, of course, these guys took an oath to defend their country and knew the risks. But with IEDs this is a society wide problem to some extent as a new generation of soldier comes home and some of them will never be the same. But I think the same is true of football, people are not forced to play, they play because they want to play. Most know their are some health risks to playing football, hence the protective gear. But there is no helmet, not in the Military, not in sports that can spare the brain from bashing into the other side of the skull when there is a big impact or blast.
I suspect the league has known about this much longer folks there were studies done in 1977 but this paper is a compilation of studies from 77-09.
http://nccsir.unc.edu/files/2014/05/2009FBCATReport.pdf
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Does every player get a physical before the start of training camp? Are CTE scans part of that process?
It can only be diagnosed post-mortem at this point, they need direct access to the tissue.
Here's a pic of Hernandez' brain tissue they released.
(https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--gMbph6uv--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/p7mfuhamjuk6exhq1ufg.png)
Literal holes in his brain.
What a difference a week can make, as apparently Boston University researchers say that they have developed a way to test living patients for CTE. That is great news, but will the NFL use it? Will the owners or players demand the testing during the next collective bargaining agreement? Or will a third party, like a health insurance provider, need to step in to demand the test in order to play? If a player test positive for CTE, will they still be allowed to play? If a player believes there is a possibility he has CTE and is irreversible, then will he avoid the test and continue to play and make millions to provide for his family? If someone test positive for CTE, are there medication or treatment options available?
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NFL and NFLPA will care about this exactly to the extent that it affects their ability to make money.
I see football declining at the high school level in a major way. School districts concerned about lawsuits and having the resources to monitor CTE are likely to just say screw it - football isn't worth it. As it is numbers are declining right now due to parents concerns.
What will end up happening is that in the parts of the country where it's not part of the culture - like MA - there will only be a handful of large schools that continue to offer football.
Long term I can see it hurting the NFL's product and fan interest but its going to take a while. From a player standpoint, if you have the ability to make good money in something other than football you probably won't play too long but for the guys where their football salary is their only way to make that kind of money during their lifetime - no impact. They'll keep playing CTE or no CTE.
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Does every player get a physical before the start of training camp? Are CTE scans part of that process?
It can only be diagnosed post-mortem at this point, they need direct access to the tissue.
Here's a pic of Hernandez' brain tissue they released.
(https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--gMbph6uv--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/p7mfuhamjuk6exhq1ufg.png)
Literal holes in his brain.
What a difference a week can make, as apparently Boston University researchers say that they have developed a way to test living patients for CTE. That is great news, but will the NFL use it? Will the owners or players demand the testing during the next collective bargaining agreement? Or will a third party, like a health insurance provider, need to step in to demand the test in order to play? If a player test positive for CTE, will they still be allowed to play? If a player believes there is a possibility he has CTE and is irreversible, then will he avoid the test and continue to play and make millions to provide for his family? If someone test positive for CTE, are there medication or treatment options available?
I saw that. If it is fact a valid test - which would probably take years of testing to confirm - then there will be tremendous resistance to using it routinely. The teams don't want to know because of the massive liability issues knowing would create, and a lot of the players probably don't want to know because it would make them have to reconsider playing. Individuals would use it but it would probably take a collective bargaining fight to make it anything close to mandatory.