on May 28, 2012
NFL could face thousands of lawsuits from ex-players over brain damage from concussions
A decade of medical research had documented the game's fearsome toll. Former NFL players who had endured multiple head blows – whether formally diagnosed with concussions or not – were suffering memory losses, concentration lapses, speech troubles, bursts of anger, bouts of depression, and unusually early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
Most worrisome of all in 2009 were the autopsy results from at least eight hard-hitting NFL veterans who had died young, often violently, and in the grip of depression or dementia. Ex-Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Terry Long killed himself at 45 by guzzling anti-freeze. Fellow Steelers lineman Justin Strzelczyk, 36, smashed his truck into a tractor-trailer while fleeing police. Former Cardinal defensive back Andre Waters, 44, shot himself in the head.
The exams showed all eight athletes' brains were gummed up with destructive, protein-filled neural tangles – a dementia-causing condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, that many researchers believe is a consequence of being repeatedly bashed in the head.
Yet the NFL, in 2009, still allowed players with concussions to return to the same game, as long as they hadn't blacked out or shown other obvious symptoms. The league insisted to players that there was "no evidence" of long-term harm from concussions, and "no magic number for how many concussions is too many." Research that said otherwise was flawed, premature, or flat-out wrong.
Though there's been no confirmation yet of concussion-caused brain damage, the May 2 suicide of former NFL star Junior Seau, 43, is focusing even more attention on the football-concussion issue. Seau spent 20 years in the league as one of its toughest defensive players. An ex-teammate estimated Seau likely suffered more than 1,500 undiagnosed concussions during his pro career.
Seau shot himself in the chest, just as former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson did in February 2011. In a note, Duerson – who had memory loss and other neurological symptoms – asked that his brain be preserved for study. Researchers later confirmed Duerson had the degenerative CTE. Seau's family has not disclosed whether they will donate his brain for research.
You can read more here: http://www.cleveland.com/science/index.ssf/2012/05/thou sands_of_ex-player_lawsuit.html
A decade of medical research had documented the game's fearsome toll. Former NFL players who had endured multiple head blows – whether formally diagnosed with concussions or not – were suffering memory losses, concentration lapses, speech troubles, bursts of anger, bouts of depression, and unusually early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
Most worrisome of all in 2009 were the autopsy results from at least eight hard-hitting NFL veterans who had died young, often violently, and in the grip of depression or dementia. Ex-Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Terry Long killed himself at 45 by guzzling anti-freeze. Fellow Steelers lineman Justin Strzelczyk, 36, smashed his truck into a tractor-trailer while fleeing police. Former Cardinal defensive back Andre Waters, 44, shot himself in the head.
The exams showed all eight athletes' brains were gummed up with destructive, protein-filled neural tangles – a dementia-causing condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, that many researchers believe is a consequence of being repeatedly bashed in the head.
Yet the NFL, in 2009, still allowed players with concussions to return to the same game, as long as they hadn't blacked out or shown other obvious symptoms. The league insisted to players that there was "no evidence" of long-term harm from concussions, and "no magic number for how many concussions is too many." Research that said otherwise was flawed, premature, or flat-out wrong.
Though there's been no confirmation yet of concussion-caused brain damage, the May 2 suicide of former NFL star Junior Seau, 43, is focusing even more attention on the football-concussion issue. Seau spent 20 years in the league as one of its toughest defensive players. An ex-teammate estimated Seau likely suffered more than 1,500 undiagnosed concussions during his pro career.
Seau shot himself in the chest, just as former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson did in February 2011. In a note, Duerson – who had memory loss and other neurological symptoms – asked that his brain be preserved for study. Researchers later confirmed Duerson had the degenerative CTE. Seau's family has not disclosed whether they will donate his brain for research.
You can read more here: http://www.cleveland.com/science/index.ssf/2012/05/thou sands_of_ex-player_lawsuit.html
Posted in: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Topics:
TBI, traumatic Brain Injury
1 person likes this.
Amazing!Can you imagine if all professional boxers had lawsuits against their boxing promoters,coaches/trainers over brain damages from concussions,multiple head blows!Instead,boxers go into lawsuits against their boxing promoters including Don King and Coaches over $$$$.And yet,some former boxers a...View More