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Showing posts with label Christopher Nowinski. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christopher Nowinski. Show all posts

July 10, 2016

Does lawsuit mean Chris Nowinski is caught in the middle?


In the summer of 2007, soon after retired pro wrestler Chris Nowinski created a concussion research foundation he would affiliate with Boston University, a star wrestler named Chris Benoit strangled his wife, choked to death his 7-year-old son, and hanged himself.

The 40-year-old Benoit previously had told Nowinski he experienced “more [concussions] than I can count.’’

“I was certain Benoit had suffered from CTE [chronic traumatic encephalopathy],’’ Nowinski wrote in his book, “Head Games: The Global Concussion Crisis.’’

Nowinski and his then-partner, Dr. Bennet Omalu, wasted little time procuring Benoit’s brain to examine. And when Omalu diagnosed Benoit with severe CTE — the first confirmation of the degenerative brain disease in a World Wrestling Entertainment performer — Nowinski widely publicized the findings, helping to galvanize national concern about traumatic brain injuries and catapult his foundation to prominence.

Nine years later, Nowinski faces a possible dilemma. He has since split bitterly from Omalu and embraced WWE as a multimillion-dollar sponsor of his BU-affiliated Concussion Legacy Foundation. And as WWE fights a concussion lawsuit in part by challenging Omalu’s diagnosis of Benoit, the question arises: Were Nowinski compelled to choose sides, would he defend Omalu’s findings or support WWE, the largest benefactor that Nowinski’s foundation has publicly acknowledged?

July 1, 2016

The Latest On The WWE Concussion Lawsuit


As previously reported on PWInsider.com, many of the lawsuits brought against WWE for allegedly failing to disclose information and caring about the well being of talents when it comes to concussion-related issues and CTE have for the most part been dismissed (although some of those dismissals are currently being appealed). The lone exception, as of this writing, has been the lawsuit brought against the company by former WWE talent Vito LoGrasso and former developmental talent Evan Singleton.

In that case, many of the claims brought against WWE by LoGrasso and Singleton were dismissed for the same reasons as the other lawsuits but one* (see below) of the claims against WWE in this lawsuit was allowed to move forward. Specifically allowed was their claim alleging that in 2005, WWE "became aware of and failed to disclose to its wrestlers information concerning a link between repeated head trauma and permanent degenerative neurological conditions." Since WWE had created the Wellness Policy and LoGrasso and Singleton had wrestled during that period, the court ruled it was within reason that there was a possibility that WWE had a "greater knowledge" of the dangers via information cultivated via Wellness Policy data. So the court is allowing that aspect of the case to move forward so the matter can be determined.

June 18, 2016

Chris Nowinski Responds To Being Targeted For Being 'Too Cozy' With WWE


I am releasing a statement regarding the Concussion Legacy Foundation's outreach and recruiting efforts within the professional wrestling community. This is in advance of a reporter writing an article attempting to create controversy where there is none. This statement makes clear that we remain committed to improving health outcomes of professional wrestlers, and explains how we accomplish that within the broader scope of our mission.

Specifically, I have been informed that, in an upcoming article, a reporter is attempting to invent conflict by asserting that post-death brain donations among professional wrestlers have declined since CLF received an unrestricted gift from WWE in 2012 that has supported research aimed at accelerating a cure for CTE. These assertions ignore the facts; completely misunderstand the process and motivation behind CLF's brain donation recruiting and outreach; and disregard CLF's broad mission to advance research into CTE for all athletes and other at-risk groups, with a special focus on contact sports that millions of children play, as well as military veterans.

Scientific inquiry into CTE is complex. In the interest of providing the general public, as well as the professional wrestling community, with a better understanding of our brain donation initiatives and our broad research and education efforts, as well as to explain how these efforts benefit members of the professional wrestling community, I have prepared this summary. Be assured that the science remains independent, unrestricted and driven by our goals of advancing research toward detection during life as well as treatment and a cure for CTE, in addition to advancing public health.

June 12, 2016

Ex-wrestlers say one of their own sells them short


The night his professional wrestling career went bad, Chris Nowinski took a brain-rattling kick to his chin from a 325-pound brawler. Pain seized him, and his world turned gauzy.

Nowinski performed many nights after his 2003 concussion, absorbing a rat-a-tat of blows to his skull for the entertainment of millions.

Before he launched his pioneering career procuring the brains of dead athletes for medical research, Nowinski suffered the kind of debilitating head injuries that damaged countless other professional wrestlers and helped inspire him to expose the hidden perils of the body-slamming entertainment and sports industries.

Nowinski, a former Harvard football player whose star turn in the World Wrestling Entertainment arena was cut short by his brain injuries, is nine years into a campaign to try to solve the concussion crisis in sports, entertainment, and the armed forces — an effort he dedicated in part to former WWE colleagues such as Rene Goguen, who performed as Rene Dupree.

But Goguen and other professional wrestlers said in interviews that they believe Nowinski has sold them short because his Waltham-based Concussion Legacy Foundation has forged a financial bond with WWE, a billion-dollar corporation that has fought concussion-related lawsuits from its former performers.

Since 2013, WWE has agreed to donate $2.7 million to the foundation, making it the largest benefactor the nonprofit has publicly acknowledged. During that period, Nowinski and his foundation staff have reached out to the families of 12 deceased athletes to acquire their brains for researchers to study for links between repetitive head blows and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative brain disease that has been diagnosed in hundreds of sports and military veterans, many of whom have committed suicide or succumbed to drug overdoses.

But none of those brains belonged to a professional wrestler, despite nearly 100 of them dying since the WWE’s initial gift to Nowinski’s foundation. Many of those wrestlers died before the age of 50, including some of Nowinski’s fellow performers.

May 18, 2016

WWE concussion lawsuit takes strange turn with deposition


Vince McMahon, Triple H, Dr. Joseph Maroon, Dr. Mark Lovell, Dr. Chris Amann, Bill DeMott and Chris Nowinski will all be deposed in the Vito LoGrasso and Evan Singleton concussion lawsuit, but Stephanie McMahon won't be.

It has been almost two months since WWE won several important rulings in the concussion litigation filed by six former WWE wrestlers, with the Haynes and McCullough et al. lawsuits being dismissed outright and the LoGrasso and Singleton lawsuit being partially dismissed. The remaining claim against the company is that they committed fraud by omission after the institution of their Wellness Policy by failing to disclose to LoGrasso, Singleton and their other wrestlers "information concerning a link between repeated head trauma and permanent degenerative neurological conditions as well as specialized knowledge concerning the possibility that its wrestlers could be exposed to a greater risk for such conditions."

The case has since entered discovery, which was a slow moving affair until the last couple of weeks when the plaintiffs deposed on short notice:

Vince McMahon (WWE Chairman & CEO),
Stephanie McMahon (Chief Brand Officer),
Paul "Triple H" Levesque (Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative),
Dr. Joseph Maroon (WWE Medical Director),
Dr. Mark Lovell (President of ImPACT),
Dr. Chris Amann (WWE Senior Ringside Physician),
Bill DeMott (WWE's Head Trainer from June 2012 to March 2015),
Chris Nowinski (Co-Founder and President of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, an organization that has benefited from WWE donations and Levesque is a current board member of).

A week ago, WWE filed an emergency motion for a protective order against these unilaterally-noticed depositions arguing that it amounted to harassment of some of their most senior executives:

"This barrage of unilaterally-scheduled depositions is a transparent attempt to prejudice WWE’s ability to properly prepare for these depositions including having counsel of WWE’s choice defend them. Plaintiffs are seeking depositions of WWE’s highest ranking executives, including its Chairman and CEO, Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events and Creative, and Chief Brand Officer, as well as third parties who Plaintiffs know have no information on any issues relevant under the Court’s discovery order and order on WWE’s motion to dismiss. Plaintiffs have no one to blame but themselves for causing their timing predicament and the resulting prejudice to WWE as they waited until just two and one-half weeks before the close of discovery to notice these depositions.

The Court has already found that Plaintiffs failed to establish good cause to extend the discovery period. The Court should also find that good cause exists to enter a protective order to prevent Plaintiffs’ attempt to prejudice, harass and unduly burden WWE with a host of depositions out of all proportion to the legitimate issues in dispute in this case."

It should be noted that WWE did not attempt to block all attempts at discovery as they had already agreed to produce a corporate representative for a Rule 30(b)(6) deposition scheduled on May 31st, 2016 before they were swamped with these additional requests.

However, Judge Vanessa Bryant denied WWE's motion for the following reason:

"ORDER denying 132 Motion for Protective Order. The Court does not direct discovery. Counsel are expected to civilly and professionally conduct discovery in a consultative manner as provided by Rules 26 and 37 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and within the deadlines set by the Court."

Since that ruling, WWE quickly arranged deposition dates for everyone except Stephanie McMahon, who they are refusing to produce "as "Plaintiffs have failed to identify any relevant testimony that Ms. McMahon would have on the narrow issues on which the Court has authorized discovery."

It should be noted that Paul Levesque will now serve as WWE's corporate representative for the Rule 30(b)(6) deposition mentioned above and will answer both individual and company specific questions in his deposition.

It is highly doubtful highly sceptical that the discovery process will find a smoking gun that will lead to WWE losing this case (Bryant's initial ruling went mostly in their favour and leaked excerpts from Singleton's deposition demonstrate that he didn't even realize that he was claiming fraud in his case against WWE), it should shine a light on WWE's Wellness Policy, in particular their handling of concussions and other traumatic brain injuries. That would be a positive development, even if it only proves that WWE's actions matches their words on the concussion issue.

March 17, 2016

Another WWE Hall Of Famer And WWE Champion Donating Their Brains For CTE Research


We mentioned a couple of weeks ago that WWE Hall of Famer and former WWE and WCW Champion Kevin Nash was going to donate his brain to help CTE research after his death. Now, Mick Foley and Jeff Hardy have also joined in on the cause.

In an interview that we published earlier, former WWE and TNA world champion Jeff Hardy said that he's only aware of about two or three concussions that he's had, but still wants to donate his brain to the research cause.

In addition, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley mentioned on Twitter that he's also donating his brain, and that former WWE Superstar Chris Nowinski talked him into doing it. Nowinski had his career ended due to concussions over ten years ago.

The WWE has seen major issues with concussions in recent years, as both Daniel Bryan and Corey Graves have had to retire due to them. Although he hasn't officially retired, Christian has also been shelved due to concussion-related issues.

February 17, 2016

Chris Nowinski Talks Daniel Bryan’s Retirement Due to Concussions, Comments on WWE’s Improved Concussion Culture and More


Former WWE Superstar Chris Nowinski, who co-founded Concussion Legacy Foundation, recently spoke with FOX Sports, and below are some interview highlights:

Daniel Bryan’s retirement due to concussions:

“I felt extraordinary sympathy for Daniel. It’s tough to walk away when you feel like you could still perform. In a sense, I was lucky because I had headaches I couldn’t kick and other problems that told me I shouldn’t go out and do (wrestling) again. He didn’t have that. He had to really dig deep to find the justification to walk away from the job he loved. It has been very interesting to watch the process. I’ve read that he was upset about WWE’s decision, but he saw other doctors and WWE really encouraged him to find another path because they recognized his brain was injured too much.”

WWE’s improved concussion culture:

“Superstars are more likely to report concussions. That’s big. Wrestling also has an advantage over sports in general because you can write wrestlers out of storylines or have them participate without physical exertion when they are recovering from concussions.”

October 31, 2014

Sports Legacy Institute Elects WWE's Paul Levesque to Board of Directors


Sports Legacy Institute (SLI), a non-profit organization dedicated to concussion education and research, announced that Paul Levesque, Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative at WWE, Inc. (WWE) has been elected to its Board of Directors.

At WWE, when he is not performing as WWE Superstar “Triple H”, Levesque is responsible for overseeing the talent relations and talent development departments, training of WWE Superstars and Divas and management of worldwide recruitment and live global events. Levesque also plays an integral role behind-the-scenes as a director and producer, working to shape the creative direction and storylines of WWE’s programming.

“We are thrilled to welcome Paul Levesque to our Board of Directors,” said Christopher Nowinski, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Sports Legacy Institute. “As an athlete himself, Paul is familiar with the risks associated with concussions. As an executive, Paul has made it a priority to protect WWE’s performers through education and awareness, as well as preventative measures and world class medical care.”

“It is an honor to join the Board of Directors at SLI to support the important work they do in the field of concussion management and prevention,” said Levesque. “This work benefits athletes of all ages and skill levels, from high school to collegiate to professional sports, as well as many others including members of our military.”

In his role at WWE, Levesque also oversees WWE’s comprehensive Talent Wellness Program and Professional Development for all WWE performers. WWE’s Talent Wellness Program has been in place since 2006 and includes cardiovascular testing, medical and wellness staffing, annual physicals and health care referrals and ImPACT testing, where every one of its talent undergoes baseline neurocognitive testing. WWE was the first major sports-entertainment organization to include ImPACT testing as part of its Talent Wellness Program in 2008.

WWE’s Professional Development focuses on four key pillars – Life Skills, Education, Wellness and Career Success. Through this program, WWE provides seminars on financial education, media training, language courses, living a healthy lifestyle and injury and illness prevention. WWE also offers college tuition reimbursement.

In 2013, Levesque oversaw the development of the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., serving as the home to WWE’s developmental division, NXT. A 26,000 square foot facility, the Performance Center provides coaching from the best in the business with seven training rings, a world-class strength and conditioning program and cutting-edge edit and production facilities. The WWE Performance Center serves as the hub for WWE’s Talent Wellness and Professional Development Programs.

In 2013, WWE made a grant of $1.2 million to SLI to fund research that could lead to potential new treatments for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease.

Joining Levesque on the Board of Directors will be Sylvia Mackey of Baltimore, Maryland, Director of the John Mackey Fund; John Corcoran of Boston, Massachusetts, Founder and President of Trinity Partners, LLC; author Andrea Pomerantz Lustig of New York City, and philanthropist Laura Hunt of Dallas, Texas, Principal at Laura Hunt, LLC.

Photo: Triple H Speaking at the Sports Legacy Institute Awards Dinner

March 10, 2014

Fandango Talks About Concussions In Sports and Praises Chris Nowinski for His Work


A week after Chris Nowinski said kids in the UK aren't taught enough about head injuries, Fandango talked to The BBC about suffering a concussion and how well WWE treated him. Fandango said Nowinski's concussion work is ""really beneficial." He said:

"A lot more research is going into them [concussions] now, where they're impact testing. Ten years ago people didn't know a lot about concussions. Chris [Nowinski]'s organisation is really diving in to that and really figuring out the impacts of these concussions and what they're doing to these athletes and performers."

"Knowledge is power and the more power you have, you're going to live a better life. With Chris spearheading a big campaign into research on concussions, it's really beneficial, not only to professional wrestlers but hockey players, NFL, rugby [and] football. The more we know about concussion and the more we can do to prevent coming back too early from a concussion, it's vital for the future of our performers and athletes."

October 26, 2013

Video: Triple H and Stephanie McMahon accept Sports Legacy Institute's 2013 Impact Award

October 24, 2013

Photo: Triple H & Stephanie McMahon Receiving the Sports Legacy Impact Award



Sports Legacy Institute to honor WWE at 6th Annual Impact Awards Dinner

October 7, 2013

Sports Legacy Institute to Honor WWE in Boston, Triple H Comments


The Sports Legacy Institute (SLI) will honor global entertainment company WWE with the 2013 Impact Award, which recognizes organizations and individuals for their commitment to solving the concussion epidemic.

The award will be presented at the 6th Annual Impact Awards dinner on Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at the Boston Harbor Hotel and accepted by Stephanie McMahon, Executive Vice President, Creative, WWE and Paul Levesque, Executive Vice President, Talent and Live Events, WWE.

WWE is being recognized for its commitment to brain trauma research as well as its commitment to concussion education. In 2013, WWE gave a $1.2 million gift to SLI to launch a new three-year research program led by Boston University researchers Ann McKee, MD and Lee Goldstein, MD, PhD aimed at developing a treatment for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease associated with brain trauma and known to affect athletes, military veterans, and others who suffer brain trauma. SLI is a Boston-based non-profit organization founded by Dr. Robert Cantu and Chris Nowinski to advance the study, treatment, and prevention of brain trauma in athletes and other at-risk groups.

WWE has also collaborated with SLI to educate WWE performers about concussion education. Every WWE Superstar and Diva has been required to attend a SLI “Conquering Concussions” seminar led by SLI executive director and former WWE Superstar Chris Nowinski, aimed at preventing concussions and increasing the reporting of concussions when they do occur.

“Our partnership with SLI is a key component of WWE’s talent health and wellness program,” said Paul Levesque. “Talent is the only natural resource that WWE has, and we are committed to their well-being.”

The Impact Awards will be hosted by Jim Braude, host of New England Cable News (NECN) show “BroadSide” and co-host of Boston Public Radio on WGBH. Current and former professional athletes will also be in attendance, including a number of former New England Patriots including Joe Andruzzi and Pete Brock. The 6th Annual Impact Awards are presented by the Mintz Levin, Trinity Partners, the Andlinger Family and Carol Quimby-Bonan and the Bonan Family.

Last year’s Impact Awards gathered over 250 attendees, athletes, and distinguished guests from across the country and raised more than $260,000 to support concussion advocacy, awareness, education, and research. Prior honorees include The Ivy League, the NFL, Dr. Ann McKee, and athletes Ted Johnson, Micky Ward, Keith Primeau, and Kevin Turner of the Kevin Turner Foundation.

July 18, 2013

Chris Nowinski Participating in VA Concussion Forum


CBSLocal.com out of Washington is reporting that former WWE star Chris Nowinski will be participating in a forum in Richmond focusing on the risks of sports concussions among young athletes.
The conference Friday at the Westin Hotel will review how the state is helping Virginians with such injuries.

May 16, 2013

WWE Funds Research into Treatment of Chronic Brain Trauma


WWE is tag-teaming with medical researchers to take on CTE.

World Wrestling Entertainment, known for past stars such as Hulk Hogan and current champ John Cena, says it is making a gift of $1.2 million over three years to further research aimed at developing a treatment for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. The brain disease, associated with repeated concussions, has come under scrutiny amid concussion-related lawsuits by more than 4,000 former NFL players against the league. CTE has been linked to depression and dementia.

"Obviously, I think it's such a huge concern for everybody right now in sports and in the military. As we learn more and more about concussions and what can become of it, I think it's a problem for everybody," Paul Levesque, WWE executive vice president of Talent and Live Events, told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday.

The WWE says the gift is a continuation of the Talent Wellness Program it started in 2006, which now includes the same neurological baseline testing used in the NFL and such pro wrestling-specific mandates as a ban against bashing an opponent over the head with a metal chair.

"We still hit people with metal chairs, just not in the head anymore," said Levesque, who as a ring star and occasional wrestler is known as Triple H. "We took out the things that ... caused the most concussions and the most head impacts."

The gift is being made to the Sports Legacy Institute, a Boston non-profit with a mission to advance treatment and prevention of the effects of concussions in athletes and others, such as soldiers concussed by blasts. The Sports Legacy Institute has a pro wrestling connection: Co-founder Chris Nowinski played football at Harvard but also wrestled in the WWE under names that included Chris Harvard. His character had a move called the "Honor Roll."

Nowinski, in approaching WWE with an appeal for funding, knew from his own wrestling career that it was involved with the military. "I used to go visit Walter Reed (hospital), when I was talent there, on regular basis. So I thought they might be interested in funding CTE research, and they were," he said.

Nowinski sustained a concussion in a 2003 wrestling match. The problems he had in the aftermath, from a kick in the head by Bubba Ray Dudley, fueled his interest in prevention and treatment.

"It wasn't his fault. I was too close," Nowinski said of wrestling Dudley. "And unfortunately I lied about my symptoms for five weeks and kept going. ... I had a headache and was nauseous every time I got my heart rate up, but I fought through it as best I could."

Times have changed since in wrestling. Levesque said the WWE performer known as Dolph Ziggler recently sustained a concussion -- "He got hit with an errant kick that was supposed to be in the chest, and somebody zigged when they should have zagged, and he got hit on the chin" -- and is out for Sunday's scheduled Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

The WWE gift will be used by researchers at Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy in a new investigation aimed at studying the effectiveness of potential treatments for CTE. The research will be led by neurologist/neuropathologist Ann McKee, co-director of the center, and Lee Goldstein, one of the investigators.

"We've come a long way in five years," McKee said. "This funding will further accelerate the pace of our research and hasten the development of methods to detect CTE during life as well as identify treatments to slow or stop its progression."

In addition to eliminating chairs to the head, the WWE says it also has modified its training and maneuvers to curtail blows to the head. Levesque said the effort is showing results.

"In 2011, we had 25 concussions of the 150 talent (wrestlers) on the road all year long. ... In 2012, we only had 11," he said.

Levesque said pro wrestling is fundamentally different from football when it comes to hard impacts.

"If you're in the NFL, your goal is to try to hit the other guy as hard as possible. ... The goal in what we do is the exact opposite," said Levesque.

"The goal in what we do is first and foremost ... protect your opponent. Without him you have nothing. ... Our whole goal is to make something look as devastating as possible and as impactful as possible with as little impact as possible. It's really the art of what we do. We really work on that with talent.

"If John Cena and I are in a story line together and I hit John Cena hard and he gets injured, and he's out, it hurts me as much as it hurts him. He's out; now my opponent that I'm in a story line with is gone and my storyline just ended.''

The research figures to benefit other sports, but Levesque noted that WWE often gets its wrestlers from other sports: "We recruit a lot of our talent from other contact sports, NFL, NHL, rugby and the Olympics. ... It's important for us as to where they're coming from and what has happened to them prior to them getting to us because it's ... in essence what we're getting as a talent.''

He said the wrestlers are the show in the WWE.

"With us, we're making brands and we're making stars, and those stars are the most important thing we have," said Levesque. "We can't just go buy a second-string John Cena and have them be on the show."

source: usatoday.com

September 19, 2012

Chris Nowinski's 'Head Games' to be Made into a Documentary on Concussions


Former WWE star Chris Nowinski, who's battles with post-concussion syndrome ended his in-ring career and led to the formation of the Sports Legacy Institute as well as many findings in concussion research and treatment has turned his 2007 book "Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis" into a documentary. "Hoop Dreams" director Steve James is helming the film. Billy Corgan has created an original score for the film as well. For more, visit www.HeadGamesTheFilm.com.

February 7, 2012

Top WWE Star Advocating Time Off?


Former WWE wrestler Chris Nowinski says top star Randy Orton is now advocating for time off to heal from injuries, specifically bumps around the head, after learning more about concussions. Nowinski said on the Busted Open satellite radio show that wrestlers requesting time off for concussions were viewed as soft during his era (2002-2003), but Orton is helping change the culture. "A guy like Randy Orton just didn't buy into it, and I ran into him in March, and he started talking about his concussion experiences and he was like, 'Gosh I didn't know it was that bad”.' He is an advocate for himself now to take time off and so it's interesting to see this turn."

source: busted open radio & pwtorch.com

Christopher Nowinski Details Conversations with Benoit Prior to Tragedy


Former WWE wrestler Chris Nowinski says his mission with the Sports Legacy Institute is to understand why the concussion-related CTE disease happens so it can be prevented in the future. It relates to Chris Benoit, who Nowinski says showed signs of CTE in their conversations prior to Benoit's double murder/suicide in June 2007.

"We incorporated Sports Legacies ten days before the Benoit tragedy. A year prior to that I sat down with Benoit when I was still working for (WWE) and he just started asking me questions," Nowinski said on the "Busted Open" satellite radio show. "He was more interested than any other wrestler, which helps me realize that he actually knew there was something wrong with him. He asked me about how many concussions I had and I asked him and he said, 'Well, I had more concussions than I can count.' So, because he told me that and then he told me to give him a call. I remember months later... I called him and he acted like he didn't know why I was calling after he gave me his number. So, I thought maybe there was a memory thing or maybe a mood thing going on. So, when it happened, I was sure that is why it happened."

source: busted open radio

February 19, 2011

Former Chicago Bears Safety Dave Duerson Death Ruled a Suicide; Donates Brain for Concussion Research


The death of former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson was ruled a suicide by the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner, WMAQ-TV in Chicago reported Saturday. Duerson was found dead Thursday night at his home in Miami. The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner said he died from a gunshot wound to the chest.

In a text message he sent to loved ones before his death, Duerson asked that his brain, particularly the "left side," be left for NFL researchers who study chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease common to boxers, football players and others who experience multiple concussions and head injuries.

"NFL players are at high risk for CTE," said Chris Nowinski, co-director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University School of Medicine.

Nowinski said Duerson donating his brain for study was "an incredible selfless contribution to medical research."...More?

source: fox sports

January 18, 2011

Jim McMahon On Concussion Dangers: ‘You Think Nothing Can Bother You’


The hits just keep on coming for school age football players and other sports. Those hits can be catastrophic. Now the city of Chicago is taking action to protect young public school athletes and prevent concussions from doing serious damage, CBS 2’s Mike Parker reports.

A high school linebacker can possibly take 6,000 hits to the head during three seasons, and those hits can cause damage. Now a new Chicago law is on the books. Athletes at city schools who show signs of possible concussion cannot return to their sport without a doctor’s permission.

“When you’re young, you think nothing can bother you,” says former Chicago Bears quarterback and Super Bowl champion Jim McMahon. “You can injure your brain for the rest of your life.” He knows better now. McMahon says he noticed that after he retired, his memory started to go.

“I don’t think it’s chronic yet, but it’s frustrating when you walk into a room and you forget why the hell you went in there. You’ve got to start all over again,” he says.

It can get much worse. Boston University has studied the brains of 13 deceased pro football players. Twelve of the 13 had a disease that causes dementia. McMahon is now disclosing that when he dies, his brain will be donated to aid in this research...More?

source: cbs chicago

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