Patriots QB Tom Brady admitted that he "pays some attention to the brain studies being released" about the effects of playing football, according to Ben Volin of the BOSTON GLOBE. Brady said, "You’re not blind to it as a player. That’s why I believe in so much of being proactive with your health." He added, "It’s a contact sport, and I think we all understand that. There’s a lot of great benefits that football brings you, (but) certainly you can be put in harm’s way" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/5). Pro Football HOFer Terrell Davis said, "I can’t lie, we’re all scared. We’re concerned because we don’t know what the future holds. When I’m at home and I do something, if I forget something I have to stop to think, ‘Is this because I’m getting older or I’m just not using my brain, or is this an effect of playing football?’ I don’t know that" (DENVER POST, 8/5). USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell wrote under the header, "CTE Fears Reverberate For NFL Legends At Pro Football Hall Of Fame" (USATODAY.com, 8/5). In Oakland, Elliott Almond reported former NFLer Jim Plunkett has seen his activities "reduced to golf and light workouts at home on a Crosstrainer." Plunkett said, "My life sucks. It's no fun being in this body right now. Everything hurts" (EAST BAY TIMES, 8/4). Dr. Bennet Omalu, a leader in finding CTE in football players, said CTE is "just one disease in a spectrum of many diseases caused by brain trauma." Omalu: "If he doesn't have CTE, that doesn't mean he doesn't have brain damage. ... I've always said that every child who plays football has a 100 percent risk of exposure to brain damage." He added, "The NFL is not in the business of health care. It is not a research organization. If you think the NFL is not doing anything, well, what do you expect? They are in the business of making money. The issue is parents" (ESPN.com, 8/4).
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Boselli is skeptical of automatically
connecting playing football and CTE |
STILL SOME SKEPTICS: In Jacksonville, Gene Frenette reported former NFLer Tony Boselli is among those "skeptical of automatically connecting football and CTE." It "bothers him that football is so easily portrayed as the underlying CTE cause without definitive evidence." Boselli said, "The data doesn’t tell us the direct correlative causes. The people I talk to say it’s inconclusive. We should let science go down that path and see if CTE is the cause." He added, "Have they done studies on non-athletes? Should we look at soccer, lacrosse, hockey? I just find it interesting football gets put in the crosshairs because it’s the No. 1 sport and makes the most money" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 8/6). But in Providence, Bill Reynolds writes there is "little question football has a concussion problem on its hands." The NFL nowadays "seems a little more complicated, CTE in too many huddles, CTE trying to get into too many games." The NFL "can’t ignore it, can’t pretend it’s always going to be on the sidelines somewhere, never getting in the game." Reynolds: "Not with too many of the game’s former greats struggling" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 8/7). Meanwhile, in Boston, Bob Ryan wrote under the header, "NFL Players Who Say They Would Die On The Football Field Are Stupid, Not Brave" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/6).
GROUP THERAPY: The N.Y. TIMES' Belson reports an invitation-only Facebook discussion group for the wives and partners of current and former NFLers has "become the go-to place to air the complexities, anxieties and consequences of living with an NFL athlete, past and present." The page was started last spring by Tara Nesbit, the wife of former NFLer Jamar Nesbit. It includes more than 2,000 women who are "increasingly sharing their anguish about injuries and the long-term effects of concussions." Many of the posts "morph into virtual group hugs, as women who have grappled with the same issues offer support, advice and encouragement or, as one woman put it, a soft place to land." Nesbit, who is helped by Jane Arnett, another former player’s wife, "tries to keep the site as private as possible, guarding against voyeurs" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/7).
