Chronic Truamatic Encephalopathy (CTE)

[KarateKen]

14 hours ago, Nidan Melbourne said:

 

IMHO at the end of the day the Coach has the final say about who plays and who doesn't. Also they are the ones responsible for Player Safety. 

When I was a coach (I coached Basketball), and had players ruled out due to injury. Now a few times - I had a few parents, or even club management try to force me to get an injured player to get court time because they had organized a scout to come watch. However I strictly refused, and the scout came to me to ask what happened and why I didn't play a certain player. 

Now I explained to them that I do not play a player that is injured, as it is my responsibility for their safety and if I did let them play it would just be reckless. 

However I have heard disturbing reports from various places that coaches at the High School Level push their players to unsafe levels during extreme heat. 

 

 

One thing that I know used to happen in the NFL, and this is not to excuse anybody, but players would often lie or downplay their injury so they could get back into the game.  The NFL is so competitive that if you miss time due to an injury, another player could step in and take your job.  Or the team could use your injury as negotiation leverage against you when your contract is up.  The "tough guy" attitude was/is a big part of the football culture and "playing hurt" was often celebrated by players, fans, coaches, and the media, praising players for their toughness. 

When it comes to concussions, NFL coaches would often rely on doctors to decide if a player is healthy enough to play.  Back in the 90s and early 2000s, before all of this came to light, concussions were not always taken as seriously because you couldn't see it the way you can see a broken bone or torn muscle.  In the 90s, NFL Commision Paul Tagliabue put a doctor named Elliot Pellman as the lead doctor for concussions.  Problem was that Pelman worked for the NY Jets, and the NFL, so he was not independent.  A bigger problem still was that he was not an expert in neurology.  This is who the league picked to head up the concussion investigation.  Irresponsible choice by the NFL IMO.  It is my belief that the NFL from the coaches, to the commissioners, to the owners, to the doctors, did not have the player's best interest in mind and were willing to downplay the concussion risks for fear of how it would hurt them financially.  Which it did eventually did.  A class action lawsuit against the NFL was settled out of court for over a billion dollars. 

You bring up the coaches and heat.  In 2001 there was a Vikings player named Korey Stringer who died during training camp from heatstroke.  There is a lot of information about that situation, but it did cause the NFL to change some things.  If it happened in the NFL I wouldn't be surprised if irresponsible coaches were doing the same thing in college and high school.  

I've never been a coach, it is not for me, but I would think any responsible coach would prioritize the health of their players for many reasons, one being it is the right thing to do, and another being that without healthy players you don't have anyone to put in the game. 

 

[Nidan Melbourne]

4 hours ago, KarateKen said:

I find this interesting.  I don't know anything about Rugby so I figured I would ask someone who has experience with it.  Many Ruby fans I talked to years ago looked down on American Football, saying it was "soft" due to the pads worn by players, which I guess Ruby does not have, or did not at one time.  

I don't know the size/speed of the Rugby players or how the game works, I do know in the NFL you have very large people coming at you quickly in a small space, looking to knock you down, and, sometimes, they aim to knock you out of the game.  See Vikings/Saints playoff matchup January 2010.  The Saints players were offered bonus money if they were to injure Brett Favre.  They roughed him up, but at age 40, Brett Favre, the record holder for most consecutive starts, never missed a snap in that game.  Favre was one of the toughest guys ever. 

Your feedback is helpful and appreciated.  

In terms of size; I'm pretty sure NFL are by far bigger. But it is  hard to compare positions between the two, as they are so vastly different. 

Speed and Agility as well is a strange thing, because both sports have high demands on it. 

Rugby [Union] is 15 a side (League the less common brother is 13 a side) - there are no offensive or defensive teams. Everyone plays Offense and Defense, meaning everyone has to have a high level of Cardio and Muscular Endurance. 

The longest you would find a stoppage (without the Referee talking) is maybe 30-45 seconds. And that is where a Scrum is having to be formed from  an infraction of the rules. 

 

3 hours ago, KarateKen said:

One thing that I know used to happen in the NFL, and this is not to excuse anybody, but players would often lie or downplay their injury so they could get back into the game.  The NFL is so competitive that if you miss time due to an injury, another player could step in and take your job.  Or the team could use your injury as negotiation leverage against you when your contract is up.  The "tough guy" attitude was/is a big part of the football culture and "playing hurt" was often celebrated by players, fans, coaches, and the media, praising players for their toughness. 

When it comes to concussions, NFL coaches would often rely on doctors to decide if a player is healthy enough to play.  Back in the 90s and early 2000s, before all of this came to light, concussions were not always taken as seriously because you couldn't see it the way you can see a broken bone or torn muscle.  In the 90s, NFL Commision Paul Tagliabue put a doctor named Elliot Pellman as the lead doctor for concussions.  Problem was that Pelman worked for the NY Jets, and the NFL, so he was not independent.  A bigger problem still was that he was not an expert in neurology.  This is who the league picked to head up the concussion investigation.  Irresponsible choice by the NFL IMO.  It is my belief that the NFL from the coaches, to the commissioners, to the owners, to the doctors, did not have the player's best interest in mind and were willing to downplay the concussion risks for fear of how it would hurt them financially.  Which it did eventually did.  A class action lawsuit against the NFL was settled out of court for over a billion dollars. 

You bring up the coaches and heat.  In 2001 there was a Vikings player named Korey Stringer who died during training camp from heatstroke.  There is a lot of information about that situation, but it did cause the NFL to change some things.  If it happened in the NFL I wouldn't be surprised if irresponsible coaches were doing the same thing in college and high school.  

I've never been a coach, it is not for me, but I would think any responsible coach would prioritize the health of their players for many reasons, one being it is the right thing to do, and another being that without healthy players you don't have anyone to put in the game. 

 

Quote

One thing that I know used to happen in the NFL, and this is not to excuse anybody, but players would often lie or downplay their injury so they could get back into the game. 

They know the importance f keeping their position, but ignore the potential long term consequences. 

You don't get longevity in a game like the NFL, as you don't many players who last more than 4-5 years in the Professional League. 

 

Quote

It is my belief that the NFL from the coaches, to the commissioners, to the owners, to the doctors, did not have the player's best interest in mind and were willing to downplay the concussion risks for fear of how it would hurt them financially.

Now I don't know much about the lawsuit. 

But out of the people that you listed; I believe the Doctors had their best interests. As at the end of the day, if something happened they could lose their Medical Licence.