Newsflash! Repeated, Severe Blunt Trauma to the Head Causes Brain Damage!

In a June 15 article appearing in the New York Times, doctors at the University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University have added their consensus to the growing “theory” that NFL players – especially linemen – can experience extensive, irreversible brain injuries as a result of their professional career.

After the death of 36 year old Justin Strzelczyk in 2004 – a Steelers offensive lineman, doctors were able to examine his brain for possible damage sustained during his years in the NFL. Damage was indeed discovered, at levels rivaling boxers and 80 year olds suffering from Alzheimer’s-like dementia. The findings were not unique, however, and were eerily similar to the studied brains of other NFL players.

Such brain damage is presumed responsible for the deaths of some NFL players, like Justin Strzelczyk. He died when his pickup hit a tanker truck and exploded, following a 40-mile long high-speed police chase. Andre Waters, a defensive back with the Philadelphia Eagles, committed suicide at the age of 44 after a long bout with depression. Mike Webster, age 50, killed himself after a long bout of mental illness, and Terry Long, a Steelers lineman, ended his life by drinking antifreeze.

Some players have even come forward to discuss their problems, as did New England Patriots Ted Johnson, and Dallas Cowboy quarterback Troy Aikman in his 2006 book Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis. Although some players are well aware of the dangers of the sport, apparently the NFL commission is not.

The findings by the University doctors will be presented along with other similar studies today in Chicago during the NFL’s first meeting on concussion management. Such a meeting is surprising, and perhaps signals a reversal of the NFL’s positions of brain damage in its players. Historically, the NFL has downplayed and even dismissed similar findings of brain damage. NFL medical advisor Elliot Pellman went so far as to call some findings “speculative and unscientific.”

Perhaps the NFL will finally wake up and realize the havoc their sport causes to their players. The solution to such serious problems may still be unknown, but the NFL commission is surely not opposed to bettering the lives of their players. Once the brain-damage theory is more widely accepted, football and the NFL will surely be subject to bad publicity. However, the NFL commission must embrace a search more a safer game, favoring the safety of their players over their personal profits from the success of their game.

Imagine – repeated contusions to the head can actually be harmful!