10 things known about Traumatic Brain Injury, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, who killed JR and the NFL.

​It’s not as if I believe that my personal rants on the NFL or other body contact sports will change the perception of the diehard fan, but there is at least the need to give phase to the parents that get up early on Saturday mornings, to allow their young children to be tackled or repeatedly punched in the head. Traumatic Brain Injury and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy are real and not only life affecting, but potentially deadly. The conversation is again in the forefront with the autopsy finding of deceased, 27 year old, New England Patriot tight end, Aaron Hernandez.
I remember football and professional boxing on television in my home as a child, but I was never particularly interested. As an adult, now residing in Bronco Nation, I am of the rare few that just don’t give a rats’ ass about the sport, BUT as a stroke survivor, I do care about TBI and on-going conversations around CTE. Understanding that what researchers have discovered for sure is that:

1. Between the ages of 10 and 12, the human brain is going through extreme growth.
2. Children that participate in contact sports that cause repeated trauma to the head are more likely to develop depression and cognitive issues.
3. The human brain is not fully developed until around age of 25.
4. In 2002, Physician, Forensic Pathologist and Neuropathologist; Bennet Ifeakandu Omalu, published his finding of CTE after the autopsy of NFL player, Mike Webster who had a 16 years in the NFL.
5. CTE is a neurodegenerative brain disease that causes proteins in the brain to clump together and as they move through the brain, kill brain cells.
6. Brain damage and dead brain cells have been shown to present as depression, agitation, aggression, lack of impulse control, suicide, paranoia, memory loss, impaired judgment, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease or ALS.
7. In 2016, Jeff Miller, as the VP for Health and Safety for the NFL, stated that the NFL acknowledged the connection between football and CTE.
8. The National Center for Biotechnology Information has published article regarding TBI and CTE among athletes and military veterans that date back decades.
9. We are aware of offenses leading to criminal charges among athletes and veterans who have been affected by brain injury.
10. Participation in contact sports is a choice.

So there we have it. Just as we know who shot JR in the sequel of Dallas, the research on brain injury is proven, and confirmed by some of the best medical minds in the world. Regardless to what we call it, the affects brain trauma and degenerative brain disease are real and should be of considerable concern of parents who allow their kids to play contact sport.  Going forward, adult participants of contact sports should not claim that they did not know the harm being done to their bodies and especially their brains. At the end of the day, the question should be considered… as a child goes from extra-curricular play to high school and college sports with dreams of a professional sports career, is there any amount of possible money for a life cut short and gone to soon? 

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