Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
NFL, NHL tackle head injuries
A phone survey commissioned by the NFL last September reported that diagnosis rates of Alzheimer’s and other memory-related diseases among former players appeared to be much higher than in the population as a whole — five times the national rate for men aged 50 and above, and 19 times for men aged 30 to 49.
The NFL’s response was to point to the limitations of that telephone survey, saying its own study on the long-term effects of concussion would provide a much better picture, but facing growing criticism from outside experts, the players union and members of Congress, the League’s stance now appears to be somewhat different.
On Sunday, the NFL said it would support research by its most vocal critics and said that concussions can have lasting consequences.
“It’s huge that the NFL actively gets behind this research,” Robert Cantu, the co-director at Boston University’s research program, told the Associated Press. “It forwards the research. It allows players to realize the NFL is concerned about the possibility that they could have this problem and that the NFL is doing everything it can to find out about the risks and the preventive strategies that can be implemented.”
There have been several stark examples of NFL retirees suffering problems in this area.
A post-mortem on former Pittsburgh Steelers lineman Justin Strzelczyk in 2004 concluded that his depression and dementia were exacerbated by chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease known to cause cognitive decline, behavioral abnormalities and ultimately dementia. CTE is usually associated with athletes vulnerable to head injuries such as boxers. Strzelczyk was only 36, but his brain looked like that of an 80-year-old.
In another case, neuropathologists concluded that former Philadelphia Eagles player Andre Waters’ depression and suicide in 2006 were the result of concussions.
The introduction of safety gear has actually increased the severity of injuries. Helmets have become weapons as well as head protection. When the game was played with minimal protection, it was a less violent game.
The rule of unintended consequences. But once adopted, good luck in rolling things back.