04/20/24
September 14, 2010
Penn Football Player Had Brain Disease: A brain autopsy of a University of Pennsylvania football player who killed himself in April has revealed the same trauma-induced brain disease found in more than 20 dead NFL players. Owen Thomas, a popular junior lineman with no previous history of depression, hanged himself in his apartment after what friends and family called a "sudden and uncharacteristic emotional collapse," the New York Times reports.
Concern over the brain trauma issues (and the overall toll the game takes in general) is really gnawing away at my lifelong love of football at all levels. Even the hitting at scholastic games is way beyond what it was in my youth (speaking as an observer - I never played the game myself).
posted by beaverboard at 08:56 AM on September 14, 2010
What beaverboard said. If the NFL doesn't start doing things differently, I am afraid that one day I'll have to conclude that the only ethical thing for me to do is stop being a fan in any form. I really don't want to do that, but I don't want to live with myself if I'm getting my entertainment watching people cripple themselves.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 10:07 AM on September 14, 2010
It seems like a lot of the brain trauma comes from a thousand "light" hits to the head and not just the one big one. I read somewhere about the offensive lineman taking 60 5-G (or whatever) shots to the head each game, and the same number each week in practice because slamming your head around is just part of that position. As the article implies,these little hits add up. The implication is you really can't enjoy watching the bog-standard line of scrimmage either. Take that away as well as the big hit enjoyment and there's not a lot left.
posted by rumple at 03:06 PM on September 14, 2010
I played 9 years of tackle football, a couple in college. Never had a concussion but was considered a pretty hard hitter and had many helmet to helmet collisions of high velocity. For the past 8 months I've had daily headaches, cloudiness, forgetfullness, etc...that I never had before. I've had MRIs, audiological exams, etc..but no one has been able to figure out what is going on.
I know it's doubtful that this has anything to do with football, and probably age more than anything, but I often wonder now with all this news about this how it potentially could be tied to football. Given all my shoulder/neck/back/knee issues I have that are almost CERTAINLY tied to football, it makes me wonder.
At the very least it has me making some hard decisions on whether to let my son play tackle at an early age (this is his last year of flag and the only thing left in our division is for him to move up to tackle which IMO is way too soon).
And people rant/rave about how football players are paid too much, or complain when their favorite player holds out for that extra $1 million. Hope this explains their thinking to those fans.
posted by bdaddy at 11:16 AM on September 15, 2010
That's terrible, bdaddy. What's worse about this particular ailment is that they seem to be unable to diagnose it until the athlete is dead. So, if it is football related, there is no real way for you to know it.
On my way home from work, I see the 7 year olds practicing tackle football. They are required to weigh only 40 pounds for tackle. All I can think about is the long-term harm they could be doing to their still-developing brains and bodies. It's definitely a tough call for parents.
posted by bperk at 01:13 PM on September 15, 2010
When my son was 8 or 9, he wanted to play football. We inquired into the Pop Warner program, and we were told that because of our son's size, he would be placed in a group with the 12- and 13- year-olds. Since this was a sure road to getting beaten up on a regular basis, we said no thanks. (The local Police Athletic League has started a program that groups kids by age rather than size.) He went out for football in 9th grade, but had to suspend his activities due to asthma. He finally went out in his senior year, and promptly tore up a knee in the weight room. Even his limited activity has left him with a permanently sore knee and back problems. This is nowhere near as serious as the neurological problems that are suffered by many, but it does show that even a little bit of the physical work and hitting involved in football an be hazardous. I have no suggestions about what to do, but there needs to be more disclosure about the dangers of the sport.
posted by Howard_T at 03:31 PM on September 15, 2010
That is so scary. This has to give parents pause about whether they want their children participating in this sport.
Yet, the NFL still hasn't gotten the message. The Eagles let two of their players return to the game with concussions. Still, at least reporters are asking the questions now.