Dementia In The Nfl

Imagine this… you walk into your grandparents’ house only to find out your grandfather cannot remember who you are or how you relate to him. “Grandpa, it’s me, your granddaughter,” you try explaining to him. “Who?” he inquires. Although you are deeply saddened he cannot remember your name or the memories you created with him, you smile and pretend everything is all right—nonetheless, it takes an emotional toll on you and your family. Despite the fact this does not directly pertain to me, I know many people who encounter these challenges. One example is my friend’s grandfather, Jim Cadile. Cadile played eleven seasons as an offensive guard for the Chicago Bears from 1962-1972. At the height of his career, he won the NFL Championship—which is equivalent to the Super Bowl. During his NFL career, he suffered too many concussions which explains why he is currently struggling with Sundown Disease—a symptom of Alzheimer’s Disease. A concussion occurs when the brain jolts and its tissue breaks or stretches. When this happens, the brain can no longer send proper signals, thoughts, and commands to the body (LaMendola). In 2013, there was a $765 million lawsuit between the NFL and retired players—including Cadile—for covering up the risks of concussions resulting from playing football (Schwarz, Bogdanich, Williams). In the lawsuit, some people claim concussions have become an accepted part of football, due to its “tough guy” attitude (Farmer). However, concussions should not be

As a result former football players are experiencing health issues. Sports news headlines have been abundant with stories concerning former NFL players currently suffering from headaches, loss of memory, dementia, and early Alzheimer’s (Ellenbogen, 2010;Neumann, 2011). Even though the devastation of concussions is just beginning to rise to the surface, they have always been around. There appear to be several recent cases involving former and current NFL players committing suicide that was influenced by some of the suffering due to medical maladies associated with playing football (Amen, 2011). Many skeptics of football related concussions have indicated such health issues are coincidental and people commit suicide for different reasons; or that early Alzheimer’s as well as dementia are known to develop with age (Casson, 2010). Recently attention has been given to the fact that there may be a link between various cases (Nowinski, 2006). Consequently, each of these players associated with these stories all sustained repeated concussions while playing football. Although several of these concussions were documented, players were forced to sit out for a few plays; however, others were not documented, and because the game was close, were asked to stay on the

It was not until Dr. Bennet Omalu examined, NFL superstar, Mike Webster’s brain. While Webster was alive, he was examined and it was found that he developed dementia due to his multiple concussions (NFL Concussion Fast Facts). Unfortunately, Webster ended up committing suicide; however, it was believed to be linked to his brain damage. Omalu took a close look at his brain and discovered that Webster had CTE. Omalu was the first to identify CTE in American football players (NFL Concussion Fast Facts). CTE is a degenerative disease of the brain and is associated with repeated head traumas, like concussions. It was also found that a total of seven NFL players, that had committed suicide, all had CTE developed in their brains. All of these different findings showed why it was even more important for the NFL to fix the

American football has been a well-known sport for over 140 years. The first college game ever played was between the Rutgers and Princeton. Little did they know about the risk that occurs when playing a physical contact sport. Some common risk that is associated with playing football is the chance of experience a concussion, disabilities caused by brain damage and sometimes death. In the essay “Would Football Without Concussions Still Be Football” written by Nina Burleigh, she discusses that it’s important to implement tougher rules to protect the safety of young football athletes to keep them safe from concussions. In other words, American football is better played when physical contact is not in place because it will protect football players

In recent years countless newscasts have been filled with stories pertaining to the physical repercussions of football on its players. Don Banks, the author of “What Price Football?” informs his audience how just recently, the NFL has agreed to pay $765 million to former players to make the concussion-related lawsuits acting against them, disappear. Now, obviously this “settlement” remains ineffective to the ultimate goal of bringing a halt to these injuries because the game continues to be played unchanged and unabated. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive degenerative disease that has become more apparent in players of the National Football League. Several retired players such as Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson and All-Pro Linebacker Junior Seau, have committed suicide. Research and medical evidence suggests that CTE may have played a role in these deaths. According to Jim Trotter’s Sports Illustrated article “Heading For Trouble,” currently more than 1,000 former and current players are plaintiffs against the NFL, claiming the league failed to adequately treat concussions and educate players about potential long-term consequences of brain trauma. These facts prove that the NFL’s clear higher motive pertains to the money profited from the sport versus conducting a game that ensures every players safety. Professional football will remain a life-threatening

The National Football League (NFL) generates billions of dollars a year and it produces the most watched events on television. However, recent research has showed that the game of football might be too dangerous for someone to consider it to be a full-time job, and the players have taken notice. A recent trend has started consisting of players retiring well-before the “prime” of their careers, and this is due to the physical damage that isn’t always so clear to the eye. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive degenerative brain disease, has reared its ugly head in the brains of former NFL players. This disease is caused by repetitive collisions to the head and concussions, something that occurs with football players at an extremely

With the advent of “Monday Night Football” on television and football replaced baseball as the “national sport,” fans seemed to crave the violence that football conveys with head-to-head crashes. CTE ( Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) , is a form of brain disease and dementia far different from alzheimer’s , arteriosclerosis, or other brain disorders. It’s a form of tauopathy( Alzheimer's), is a progressive degenerative disease found in people who have suffered repetitive brain trauma, including sub-concussive hits to the head that do not cause immediate symptoms. The disease was previously called dementia pugilistica (DP), "punch-drunk", as it was initially found in those with a history of boxing. CTE has been most commonly found in professional athletes participating in American football. Individuals with CTE may show symptoms of dementia, such as memory loss, aggression, confusion and depression, which may appear years or many decades after the trauma. Eventually the NFL accepted the scientific studies that CTE was being caused by multiple concussions , and a 765 million settlement with NFL players was

In August 2011, over 4,500 former NFL football players sued the NFL for not recognizing the prolonged effects of concussions in athletes (Taylor). The NFL’s neurological consultant immediately denied Omalu’s work [Mike Webster], stating that it was not the same scarring in Webster’s brain that has been found in the brains of former boxers (Wheelwright). PBS aired League of Denial, a documentary After dealing with this “Concussion Crisis”, a top NFL official recognized that CTE and playing football were “certainly” linked

Many retired NFL players have suffered serious effects to the brain. “88 of 90 former NFL players suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (C.T.E.). This proves that it does have effects on the brain. “ all found to have C.T.E.- have committed suicide, and hundreds more continue to suffer from irreversible brain damage.” This evidence shows what exactly happens to these retired players.

A number of deceased professional players have had their brains donated to various research institutes for analysis, and medical researchers are finding evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative condition associated with repeated impacts to the head. Researchers see similarities between the brains of former players, elderly Alzheimer’s patients, and former boxers with severe dementia. Symptoms of CTE include depression, anger, and memory loss, and many attribute the suicides of high-profile former professional players including Junior Seau and Dave Duerson. Even Chris Henry, an NFL wide receiver who died accidentally in 2009, was found to have signs of CTE in his autopsy. Henry was only 26. “In spite of all the game’s

Out of these five sports, soccer, baseball, and basketball are not contact sports, but there are still numerous cases where athletes still get injured with concussions. Dr. Bakhos, a researcher at Hasbro Children’s Hospital and Brown University, does not want parents to worry about how concussions can affect their child because their overall health and well-being is more important even though they may be at risk of getting a concussion. Dr. Bakhos believes that most concussions are mild and that it should not pose a threat to an individual’s life as long as it is treated properly (Thornton, 2010). The effects of not having a concussion treated properly could range between lapsing into a coma and eventually dying or waking up from a coma with permanent brain damage (American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 2012). The concern in many cases when an individual suffers a big hit in a sport, they continue to play on without getting the medical staff to check if they have suffered from a concussion. According to Jon Butler, from POP Warner football program, so much of it was a lack of awareness. It was like you got your bell rung, get back in the game (as cited in Head Injuries in kids Sports, 2013). The message that Jon Butler is trying to get across is that the coaches nowadays, are more

The discovery of the link between football-related brain injury and dementia was brought to light in 2002 by Dr. Omalu. He uncovers the condition of CTE in the brain tissues of a Pittsburgh Steelers center named Mike Webster. He unearthed this discovery through the use of detailed diagnosis analysis, many brain samples of collision sport athletes, finding a large scale of brain deterioration (tauopathy).

Every athlete is affected in some way by the potential risk of a concussion during practice or in a game from youth leagues up to the professional level of play. My writing will focus equally on concussions in football athletes at all levels. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has created training courses for coaches and athletic administrators. These training programs assist in the awareness and preparedness of what actions to take should concussions occur during practices or on game day. The courses demonstrate how to use “the return to play” rules to keep the athletes from more serious injury. Because many are attracted to sport programs at a young age, “prevention” is the primary focus at the youth and high school game level. Educating young athletes is the most effective way to reduce concussions in any sport.

On October 21, 2016 I received a blow to the head during a high school football game. Immediately after getting hit in the head, I fell to the ground and was unconscious. To this day, I have no recollection of what occurred prior to the hit and a few hours later. I was told the next day that I had received a mild concussion. Concussions related to sports continue to raise serious concerns as far as public health is concerned around the globe. Notably, about 1.6 to 3 million cases of concussion are recorded every year in the United States while research shows that the cases of concussion are on the rise in high school and college athletes (Covassin and Elbin 1). Similarly, the concussions incidences are higher in high school athletes at about 8.9 % while the rate for college athletes is 5-7.9% (Covassin and Elbin 1). Despite the severity of concussions, there can be many measures taken to prevent or minimize the damage as much as possible. This is where the problem lies within concussion related injuries. Many coaches or athletic trainers do not know the proper way to treat this injury or they just knowingly ignore the symptoms and put the player’s life at risk. Because of this major problem, it puts the player’s future at great risk. While sports is an essential exercise that instills discipline and teamwork among young people, helps them to keep fit and allows for social interactions, these benefits could be useless if one suffers from a concussion.

As a result of the discoveries of side-effects of brain trauma, it stimulated the new trend of making new rules for contact sports in order to prevent concussions. To begin with, CTE affects the brain to the extent that “linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend and then himself” (Kauang). Because the deaths of Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend is partially because of the NFL’s wrongdoing, the league should be held accountable in court of law for this. Belcher’s brain trauma was so traumatic because his concussions were not treated properly and the league did not educate the players on how to self-diagnose concussions. If this player’s concussions were treated properly, he and his innocent girlfriend would likely still be alive today. Like elderly people, younger NFL players “may benefit from supportive care similar to that of people with dementia” (Mayo Clinic Staff). The NFL does not have the resources to treat everyone of their players that have health issues. They cannot pay families the time they lose when a family member to football dies or has dementia. Because theses players have dementia and brain illnesses, they need to be put in extensive care, which is a lot of money, that should come out of the league’s expense. They can never pay for one of their player’s memory back. As well as the variance of concussions in the NFL, in youth football “every 3 minutes a child is seen in an emergency department for a sports-related concussion” (Hansen). Putting