LEAGUE of DENIAL

$5 Tuesdays at the movies brought the disturbing true story of 'Concussion' damage of our country's beloved sport of professional football back to the End of the Rainbow Valley.  It was one of those movies that you just have to discuss due its implication in the lives of so many who not only play the sport and their families but yes, unfortunately also for its fans. This 'business' of football has kept all of us purposefully deceived. 

Will Smith portrays Dr. Bennet Omalu in the film Concussion

Dr. Bennet Omalu*

Natureman had mentioned seeing a 2013 documentary on  FRONTLINE. He said there was more to the story.  So we 'googled' it and it dealt with the very issue of concussions and the death and biopsy of Steelers center Mike Webster by a well educated Nigerian born neuropathologist Bennet Omalu. Confusion and depression had reigned in Webster's later years and his premature death at 50 years old made the pathologist suspicious. Webster's body  appeared much older than his chronological age. The Doctor insisted on a biopsy of Webster's brain which showed no sign of diagnosed Alzheimer's. What he discovered was brain injury from head trauma.

Throughout the years the NFL had compiled various panels of their 'own' unqualified physicians who continued to deny and delay the true correlation of  continuous head trauma to cognitive disability and early dementia.  They disputed Omalu's brain injury named Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). 

BU's Dr. Ann McKee*

Further CTE research by Boston University's Dr. Ann McKee continued the studies of deceased football player brains. Alarmingly she not only discovered CTE in over 90% of its victims but also in much younger brains as a 25 year old's death exemplified.

 Chris Nowinski, the Brain Chaser*

McKee also testified before the NFL. Her research had been aided by a retired Harvard football player/wrestler, Christopher Nowinski, author of Head Games, who had been suffering 5 years of migraines. The Brain Chaser as he became known took it upon himself to contact deceased players families to donate their brains for research.

The dirty secret of the true findings has both physical and moral implications for all of us. Although the NFL goes through the motion of panels and donating to McKee's CTE research, it continues to prolong denying its high correlation to the trauma received.

IF parents really know the risks of the hits their children would endure playing the dangerous sport of football, would they still encourage and let their children play? 

I know in our household Natureman was very unpopular not allowing his children to play the sport in high school. Thank goodness is all I can say. The glory and violence of this sport and other contact sports is just not worth anybody's life. 

The movie 'Concussion' has an important message and whether we will listen remains the question... 

*photos all courtesy of the web