Fedora said that people routinely used data on CTE to suggest the risk of playing football was too highGETTY IMAGES
North Carolina football coach Larry Fedora during his appearance at yesterday's ACC Kickoff event "drew heat for doubting a link between football and CTE," noting he "believed there were people using the data in hopes of destroying the game," according to David Hale of ESPN.com. Fedora "suggested that softening the game could be part of a larger concern." He said, "Our game is under attack. I fear the game will be pushed so far from what we know that we won't recognize it in 10 years. And if it does, our country will go down, too." Fedora said that he had "talked to military personnel who had suggested the success" of the U.S. military was "due, in part, to the number of football players who went on to join the armed forces." Hale noted after "questioning the evidence tying CTE and football, Fedora later backtracked slightly by saying football simply was not alone in dealing with head injuries, and he argued that the game is currently safer than ever before." Fedora said that people "routinely used data on CTE to suggest the risk of playing football was too high." He noted that in turn has resulted in youth football participation rates to declined nationally, "putting the game at risk" (ESPN.com, 7/18).
GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN: In Raleigh, Jonathan Alexander notes Fedora's comments "come at a time when an increasing number of doctors, researchers and former football players have been vocal about head injuries in football and the long-term effects of concussions" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 7/19). The AP's Aaron Beard noted CTE has been "linked to the repeated hits to the head endured by football and hockey players, boxers and members of the military." The NFL's billion-dollar concussion settlement "included payouts for a qualifying diagnosis of CTE." UNC is also "home to a noted center researching sports-related brain injuries" (AP, 7/18). In Oklahoma City, Barry Tramel writes Fedora "came across as quite uneducated about the severity of football injuries" (OKLAHOMAN, 7/19). ESPN's Mike Greenberg said, "Questioning the link between CTE and playing football is reckless and it is irresponsible." Meanwhile, Nuggets F Richard Jefferson asked, "Do I want to send my son to a school where he says, 'I think I might have a concussion," and they say, 'You're going to be fine, toughen up?' That's not where you want to send your son" ("Get Up!," ESPN, 7/19).
UNFIT FOR THE JOB? In Raleigh, Luke DeCock writes Fedora's comments were "outlandish" and will "hurt the game of football more than they help it." The link between football, concussions and CTE is "undeniable at this point." It is "just a question of degree" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 7/19). SPORTING NEWS' Bill Bender wrote Fedora's comments "will do far more damage than good." His words "were inappropriate" after late Washington State QB Tyler Hilinski was diagnosed with CTE after he committed suicide in January (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 7/18). In Greensboro, Ed Hardin in a front-page piece writes Fedora "simply doesn't understand what he's done here." He "really doesn't get it." Fedora "waded into an issue on which he should be an expert, but he proved yet again to be nothing more than a football coach" (Greensboro NEWS & RECORD, 7/19). USA TODAY's Dan Wolken writes if Fedora "actually believes what he said, he's too dumb to coach college football and should be fired immediately." What Fedora said "isn't just wrong, it's toxic." The fact he was "arrogant enough to say it publicly in defense of some ridiculous machismo ethic that permeates the sport of football means he has crossed the line from responsibility into non-reality and is no longer fit for the job he now has" (USA TODAY, 7/19).
WORDS DON'T MATCH ACTIONS: UNC Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences Kevin Guskiewicz, who leads the school's research into brain injuries, said that Fedora's comments "do not match up with the man he knows." Guskiewicz: "I've not worked with a coach who cares more about the health and safety of their players." He said that Fedora "allowed his players to be part of a landmark joint research initiative by the NCAA and the Department of Defense that is designed to enhance the safety of athletes and service members." Guskiewicz: "My guess is Larry was just trying to emphasize that this is an injury that there are still a lot of unknowns about" (USATODAY.com, 7/18).
TWITTER REAX: The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach: "That was a surreal Q&A session." NBC Sports' Kevin McQuire: "It’s not too often a coach loses a media day, but Larry Fedora decided to give it a try." SNY's Rich Cirminiello: "Fedora is to CTE what Kyrie Irving is to Earth Sciences." ESPN's Hale: "His comments were not conveyed well, and to dismiss CTE research is foolish. But the topic is FAR more nuanced than is often discussed, and plenty of coaches agree w/him that it’s being used as a blunt instrument to attack football." Yahoo Sports' Eric Adelson: "At the same time Larry Fedora was making his CTE comments, I happened to be reading a new study on CTE: One line from it: '...despite the persuasive claims made by the media about CTE, research on the disease and the effects of mTBI in general remain in its infancy.'" The Ringer's Kevin Clark: "You (a weirdo): Football should probably innovate. Larry Fedora (normal): A SECOND CIVIL WAR WILL BE CAUSED BY THE LACK OF TOUGHNESS AMONG PASS RUSHERS."
