CTE: THE
REPERCUSSIONS OF
CONCUSSIONS
Hanna Littrell
BACKGROUND OF CTE
■ CTE stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
■ CTE is a progressive degenerative disease found in people who have suffered
through repeated brain trauma (concussions)
■ CTE is most commonly found in former professional athletes, most famously in
NFL players
■ The symptoms of CTE include severe memory loss (dementia), aggression,
confusion, and depression
■ CTE can unfortunately only be diagnosed after death via an examination of
brain tissue
Dr. Bennet
Omalu
• World renowned neuropathologist
• First to publish findings of CTE in
American football players
• Dr. Omalu is the central character
of the recent motion picture,
Concussion, where he is
portrayed by Will Smith
• The movie is based on his
findings and the unwillingness of
the NFL to accept his truth
CONCUSSION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io6hPdC41RM
Dr. Omalu
recently was
quoted as
saying that he
was willing to
bet his medical
licenses that
OJ Simpson
suffers from
CTE
OJ Simpson
•
Heisman winner at USC in 1968
•
First NFL player to rush for more than
2,000 yards in a season
•
Played 11 seasons in the NFL
•
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of
Fame in 1985
•
He was acquitted in 1994 for the
murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown,
and her friend, Ron Goldman
•
Was later found responsible for their
deaths in a civil lawsuit
•
In 2008, he was found guilty of
armed robbery and kidnapping and
sentenced to 33 years in prison
Do you agree with Dr. Omalu?
Could OJ’s behavior be from the
result of CTE obtained during
his Hall of Fame football
career? Why or why not?
INTERESTING FACT
■ Longtime Bills equipment manager, Dave
Hojnowski, has said that Simpson had an
extremely large head and had to wear a
custom-sized 8 ¼ inch helmet during his
playing days because manufacturers did not
make any helmets bigger than a 7 ¾ in.
Do you think it is reasonable
to say that there is a direct
link from CTE to violence?
FORMER NFL
PLAYERS
DIAGNOSED WITH
CTE
Frank
Gifford
• Played 12 seasons in the NFL
as a defensive back and
running back
• Inducted into the NFL Hall of
Fame in 1977
• Diagnosed with CTE after his
death in 2015
• Advocate for player safety,
helped found the NFLPA
Ken “The
Snake”
Stabler
• Played 15 seasons in the NFL
• Current finalist for the NFL Hall
of Fame
• His “high stage 3” CTE diagnosis
was made public yesterday after
his death in June 2015
• His CTE diagnosis is extremely
significant due to him being a
quarterback
Stabler’s diagnosis “further
suggests that no position in
football, except perhaps kicker,
is immune from progressive
brain damage linked to hits to
the head, both concussive and
subconcussive.” (John Branch)
• Do you think quarterbacks are at as significant of a risk
currently to suffer from CTE in the future?
-Stabler played in the 1970’s when rules were not in place to protect
the quarterback like they are today.
• Are quarterbacks overprotected?
• Should safety protocols be extended to accommodate
other positions instead of focusing solely on the
quarterback?
Junior
Seau
• NFL Hall of Fame
Linebacker
• Committed suicide in 2011
• Diagnosed with CTE
• Family filed multi-million
dollar lawsuit following his
CTE diagnosis
Should the NFL be held
responsible to the
families of CTE victims?
Is the fear of CTE and other long term
health problems contributing to players’
early retirement from the NFL?
Is the fear of CTE related
issues ruining the game
(college and NFL)?
(Targeting calls,
concussion protocol,
etc.)
According to the NY Times,
90 out of 94 of the NFL
players that have been
tested have been found to
have CTE in Boston
University’s study.
Is CTE a true
problem or are we
overreacting as a
society?
JETS WIDE RECEIVER, BRANDON
MARSHALL, ON THE FUTURE OF THE GAME
http://www.nfl.com/videos/inside-the-nfl/0ap3000000632200/Inside-the-NFL-Future-of-football