Posted on 09/14/2010 12:49:30 PM PDT by fightinJAG
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A brain autopsy of a University of Pennsylvania football player who killed himself in April has revealed the same trauma-induced disease found in more than 20 deceased National Football League players, raising questions of how young football players may be at risk for the disease.
Owen Thomas, a popular 6-foot-2, 240-pound junior lineman for Penn with no previous history of depression, hanged himself in his off-campus apartment after what friends and family have described as a sudden and uncharacteristic emotional collapse. Doctors at Boston University subsequently received permission from the family to examine Thomas’s brain tissue and discovered early stages of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a disease linked to depression and impulse control primarily among N.F.L. players, two of whom also committed suicide in the last 10 years.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Chronic jarring blows are beyond what the human body was built to withstand.
Any wonder why guys with chronic concussions wind up flipping out?
Sign me up!
Football was never meant for people as big, fast and strong as the current major college and pro football players.
More needs to be spent on rules changes, monitoring, and enhanced head and neck protection.
It’s good that the NFL is taking concussions much more seriously, (see Kevin Kolb).
Is this the same thing they think is causing the extremely high rate (~10 times the general population) of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, AKA Lou Gherig’s Disease) among ex-NFL players?
I wonder if the liberals will want to ban football now?
Medical hogwash ...
I wonder how much she would enjoy those "great hits" if they were happening to her, instead of to someone else's child.
For every guy who lands an NFL contracts, a thousand guys suffer permanent damage and get nothing. Their colleges make a lot of money off them, though...
I don’t think any amount of money would be worth this, either for the individual or the family. IMHO.
I really don’t think anyone can consistently take these kind of hits year after year, regardless of equipment, and not be at substantial risk.
I truly wish she could read your ‘right on’ comment.
That pretty much happened to me. I was all warm and comfy, and suddenly there was a really bright light and some strange man slapped me on the butt.
Yep. Physics says force = mass x acceleration. As players get bigger and faster the force of the hits gets much greater and more lethal. It's the law.
Curse you Dragonblustar - beat me by 5 minutes. I must be slipping!
As the mother of six sons, I’m just flabbergasted by these comments. I can’t imagine saying, of any of my sons, “He just loved to hit people! He loved to intimidate!” unless it was followed by, “And it’s probably my fault he ended up like that. I’m sorry, I should have been a better mother.”
They have a higher rate of Parkinson’s disease also. I read that the average lifespan of an NFL player is fifteen years shorter than a normal person.
What makes it sadder is the fact that 78% of all NFL players are broke two years after their careers are over. Well at least that’s the player’s fault.
“He loved to hit people,” his mother said. “He loved to go into practice and hit really hard. He loved to intimidate. It’s kind of sad. We all love football. We all love watching. We all love these great hits.”
This fits with what we’ve been talking about in our household the last few seasons—the prevalence of players basically ramming into their opponents with their helmets.
Rather than looking to the number of times this player was hit as a possible cause of the concussions, what about the number of times he hit others with his head? I realize strong helmets are needed in this game, but at the same time, I do believe they actually make it easier for players to use their heads as battering rams.
Exactly!
What was she thinking when in his formative years when her son enjoyed hitting and intimidating? Not qualities that should make a mother proud. I don’t understand that kind of mentality.
Mom of six boys? - bless you, bless you, bless you times 2! Can’t help but think where this young man would be if he were raised in a different environment where enjoyment of hitting others or intimidating others was not tolerated.
Yes, but I read that the average lifespan of an NFL player is 25 years longer than a normal gang member thug.
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