NFL Backing Out Of 16 Million Dollar Pledge/Concussion Study

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The National Football League is apparently backing out of participation in a concussion or traumatic brain injury study after pledging 30 million dollars in 2012 to study the issue. The money was supposed to be unrestricted. NFL said it doesn't like the doctor in charge of that study. That doctor probably won't "give" them the finding they want unless it is what he actually finds.

http://deadspin.com/espn-nfl-blocks-16-million-from-being-used-to-fund-ma-1749256676

A movie comes out about the NFL concussion problem, those issues seem to persist to this day and most recently a controversial helmet to helmet or head to head hit in a game. What is the NFL backing out of again?
 

I'm surprised that some "ambulance chasing" lawyers haven't opened some class action lawsuits against the NFL, and the Universities, on behalf of the football players who have suffered concussions, etc., in that "sport".
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Parents are also being warned about the dangers of high school football, but I think that it is falling on deaf ears for the most part...
 

I officiate high school basketball and umpire NCAA baseball. Right now here in PA, parents do have a lawsuit on-going against the PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association). This lawsuit states that the PIAA and schools have not done enough to protect their their children against a concussion injury in all sports. There is some degree of risk associated with any sport when participating. All participants must wear the necessary equipment that has been suggested by the many orthopedic and neurological medical associations. I know from an official's standpoint that the PIAA has rules in place for officials and how we should handle suspected concussion incidents. Furthermore, each athlete and parent must sign a card that states the inherent risks of the sport and agree to its terms and conditions before being allowed to participate. This also includes a pre season physical.

The PIAA has been a fore-runner in this cause, yet parents still want to 'blame' the PIAA for not doing enough to protect the child. I would like to ask the parent what they are doing to protect the child? Do they take time to educate the athlete or the do's and don't's while participating? Do they buy added safety equipment? Do they attend every function, including practices, so they may witness for themselves what goes on? I have been a basketball official for 38 years and I can attest to the fact that I have never seen a coach send a kid back into a game after they have received a hit to the head. I think perhaps these parents may be seeking a payday and are willing to use their child's injury as a way of getting it.

http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/9611933-74/lawsuit-athletes-concussion#axzz3v8XYPo2H
 
Talk about synchronicity ... I just watched a PBS documentary this morning (3am - yeah, I'm weird) about this issue.

They highlighted a female researcher / doctor who has been collecting the brains of deceased NFL players and testing them for CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and so far, out of 90 brains examined, she's found 88 of them with the affliction.

When she tried presenting her findings to a closed-door NFL meeting consisting of all males, they ridiculed her and treated her condescendingly.

She got her revenge, though, when the wives of the deceased players started speaking up and the press finally got off their butts. They even mentioned the $1 million they gave to her for research and the $30 million (300?) they gave to NIH.

About that high school football - I played myself and told both of my boys to avoid it like the plague. Basketball, baseball, track, sure - just not football.
 
I have wondered about why are they spending so much money on a study about concussions? I would think that by now we should have a full understanding on the causes and effects of concussions. Any school, college or university athletic department that anyone would walk into would see all kinds of banners posted on the walls in the training rooms and other athletic offices a lot of information about concussions. Most of us already know that sever concussions can lead to serious brain injuries and further complications down the road. From a medical standpoint and if a concussion can be remedied by surgery or other means probably should be a study by those in that field and not by the athletic department.

Some famous athletes have had their careers cut short by a concussion or concussions and also it has been suggested that some neurological disorders of the brain, such as; Parkinson's Disease, may be caused by concussions. So, I would agree that perhaps from a medical standpoint that concussions should be examined as to what neurological disorders may be developed from concussions, but there really isn't much more that an athletic department should be expected to do that they have't done aren't already doing.
 
I agree that the athletic departments cannot do much more, for several reasons - the least of which would be that they would lose their funding.

But one interesting point that was made in the documentary was that sub-acute concussions may be just as dangerous as the ones that knock you unconscious. There may be a cumulative effect at play there which has not yet been studied, especially with junior and senior high school players (since a child's brain has far less mass hence less inertia and will move faster in the brain case during hits).

The ultimate answer of course would be to ban football at all levels.

Right, like that would ever happen. :rolleyes: Not when it's a multi-billion dollar franchise.
 
SifuPhil said:
Talk about synchronicity ... I just watched a PBS documentary this morning (3am - yeah, I'm weird) about this issue.

They highlighted a female researcher / doctor who has been collecting the brains of deceased NFL players and testing them for CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and so far, out of 90 brains examined, she's found 88 of them with the affliction.

When she tried presenting her findings to a closed-door NFL meeting consisting of all males, they ridiculed her and treated her condescendingly.


She got her revenge, though, when the wives of the deceased players started speaking up and the press finally got off their butts. They even mentioned the $1 million they gave to her for research and the $30 million (300?) they gave to NIH.

About that high school football - I played myself and told both of my boys to avoid it like the plague. Basketball, baseball, track, sure - just not football.
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Phil---I have seen concussions in both basketball and baseball. I seen a kid at a major university get hit in the head by a baseball so hard that it split his helmet and they carried him away on a gurney with his eyes crossed after he had already laid there on the field convulsing for about 30-45 seconds. That, my friend is a scary sight, to watch a kid laying on the ground and looking like he is doing the horizontal Watusi. Also, I saw two kids bump heads in a basketball game so bad that both bled like stuck pigs and were also carried off the court on separate gurneys after one of them also convulsed. Neither returned for the remainder of that season.

I believe the issue with convulsions is not what has happened at the moment of impact, although it is, but more so what happens with the brain down the road. I'm getting into an area that I know nothing about, but as a game official have read much on the subject. Game officials are required to know the signs to watch for when a concussion may have occurred. Down the road, concussions have been found, or believe to have been found to be the cause of other brain and neurological disorders, such as; Parkinson's Disease. I think Mohammed Ali would be an example of what I am speaking of. More are probably going to show up as we study this issue.

Football, at all levels, may be in for some serious changes.
 
Again, I agree that there is an element of danger in all sports.

BUT ... you have to admit, it happens far more frequently in football, simply because of the nature of the game.

And the link to Parkinson's, etc. was also discussed in the documentary. Like you I am not an MD, but they mentioned something about CTE being something very different than Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, etc. Something to do with an abnormal protein named Tao that builds up in the brain, which protein is, yes, also found in Alzheimer's patients. It's the slow appearance of symptoms over the years, even in young players, such as forgetfulness and quickness to anger, that differentiates CTE.
 
Well, Phil. maybe they should consider playing 'flag' football. I remember watching some of the greats back in the day when the running game was more popular than the passing game, which football has become today. I saw the likes of Jim Brown, Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor, Alex Webster, Walter Payton, Leroy Kelly, Larry Csonka and the list goes on. These guys were bulls and could wreck an offensive line all by themselves. They intentionally put their head down and charged through the line. I think what the issue should be is why these guys were able to do this without injury and others can't. Softer skull or brain tissue? Inquiring minds wants to know.

Mentioning Walter Payton brought a story to mind that I heard just recently. Not long after he had found out that he had a fatal disease, I forget who it was, but he was also another famous running back, but anyway, he asked Walter if he was afraid. Walter answered, "Yes, I never died before." I think that speaks volumes about Walter's honesty and ethical character.
 
Ralphy1 said:
Parents are also being warned about the dangers of high school football, but I think that it is falling on deaf ears for the most part...
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Here, again, it is probably all about the Money. People see these pro football athletes signing multi-million dollar contracts, and dream about doing the same. However, the odds of a high school football player making it to the NFL are over 35,000 to 1. It would be far more logical for the parents to insist that their kids pay attention in class, and work towards a career that will not be putting their health at risk.
 
oldman said:
I have wondered about why are they spending so much money on a study about concussions? I would think that by now we should have a full understanding on the causes and effects of concussions. Any school, college or university athletic department that anyone would walk into would see all kinds of banners posted on the walls in the training rooms and other athletic offices a lot of information about concussions. Most of us already know that sever concussions can lead to serious brain injuries and further complications down the road. From a medical standpoint and if a concussion can be remedied by surgery or other means probably should be a study by those in that field and not by the athletic department.

Some famous athletes have had their careers cut short by a concussion or concussions and also it has been suggested that some neurological disorders of the brain, such as; Parkinson's Disease, may be caused by concussions. So, I would agree that perhaps from a medical standpoint that concussions should be examined as to what neurological disorders may be developed from concussions, but there really isn't much more that an athletic department should be expected to do that they have't done aren't already doing.
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My guess is that the "study" idea is nothing but a delaying tactic by the NFL and those who profit off the sport. They know concussions cause problem now they are playing games saying prove a concussion from playing in the NFL causes problems.

I'm stunned by many of the players mocking these hearing and lawsuits regarding concussions and other injuries saying most always knew football was a dangerous sport. But they also know it was a profitable sport for them.
 
Just a follow-up opinion to what I have already written. I would agree that money has a lot to do with anything in professional sports. Can it be possible that if the NFL, as an example, would continue to pay for the study that they may be worried that other neurological disorders may be found to be caused by a concussion and in turn that may prompt lawsuits by the players and the union? As it stands now, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's Disease and probably a few more seems to be a partial side effect caused by a concussion. What if many more neurological disorders would also be related to concussions? The NFL may go broke paying for all of the care, not to mention punitive damages.
 
oldman said:
Just a follow-up opinion to what I have already written. I would agree that money has a lot to do with anything in professional sports. Can it be possible that if the NFL, as an example, would continue to pay for the study that they may be worried that other neurological disorders may be found to be caused by a concussion and in turn that may prompt lawsuits by the players and the union? As it stands now, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's Disease and probably a few more seems to be a partial side effect caused by a concussion. What if many more neurological disorders would also be related to concussions? The NFL may go broke paying for all of the care, not to mention punitive damages.
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That sums it up. Personally I think the NFL has peaked out with gambling propelling any growth or stability in the business end of football ie tv ratings etc. The game is all but at a saturation and price point maximum.
 

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