A study of 40 former NFLers between the ages of 40 and 65 found that those who "began playing tackle football before the age of 12 faced a higher risk of altered brain development than those who waited until they were older," according to a front-page piece by Bob Hohler of the BOSTON GLOBE. The study was released yesterday by researchers at Boston Univ. School of Medicine and Brigham & Women’s Hospital, who said that the findings "are the first to show a link between repetitive head impacts early in life and structural brain changes later in life." The study team’s leader, Dr. Robert Stern, "cautioned against concluding from the findings that there are specific long-term dangers associated with children playing tackle football." He cited the small number of players who were examined and noted that the study group "involved only individuals who went on to play professional football." Stern: "But it is a beginning." Researchers reported finding "increased evidence of a 'critical window' of brain development for children between the ages of 10 and 12, when the brain may be especially susceptible to injury." Each former player who was examined "had more than 12 years of organized football experience, including at least two years in the NFL." Half the players "participated in tackle football before age 12 and half began at 12 or later." The number of concussions they sustained "was similar between the two groups" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/11). This week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL examines the NFL's efforts to focus on safety in youth football.
FEELING UNSETTLED: In N.Y., Joe Nocera notes the NFL's $765M class-action settlement "will help former players who have dementia and Alzheimer’s get compensation." Nocera: "But those with CTE, which seems to be the primary way playing football damages the brain? Not so much." The settlement, "to be blunt, is a travesty." It is "hard not to view the settlement as the cynical effort by the NFL to contain its potential CTE liability; indeed, once the settlement is final, it will be nearly impossible for players -- past, present and future -- to be compensated if they are found to have the disease." Even the plaintiffs’ expert has said that only 17% of the roughly 21,000 former players who have become part of the class "will ever see any money" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/11).
