Dr. Bennet Omalu: CTE obsession obscuring the truth.

[JM2009]

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20245394/dr-bennet-omalu-says-obsession-cte-obscuring-larger-truth-brain-health-football-players

"There has been so much fascination with CTE that we are going the wrong way," Dr. Bennet Omalu said. "CTE is just one disease in a spectrum of many diseases caused by brain trauma. If he doesn't have CTE, that doesn't mean he doesn't have brain damage. ... I've always said that every child who plays football has a 100 percent risk of exposure to brain damage. And I've always said that at a professional level, 100 percent would have brain damage of some kind to some degree. That's whether or not their brains are found to have CTE."

[26CornerBlitz]

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20245394/dr-bennet-omalu-says-obsession-cte-obscuring-larger-truth-brain-health-football-players

"There has been so much fascination with CTE that we are going the wrong way," Dr. Bennet Omalu said. "CTE is just one disease in a spectrum of many diseases caused by brain trauma. If he doesn't have CTE, that doesn't mean he doesn't have brain damage. ... I've always said that every child who plays football has a 100 percent risk of exposure to brain damage. And I've always said that at a professional level, 100 percent would have brain damage of some kind to some degree. That's whether or not their brains are found to have CTE."

 

https://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/194836-cte-in-nearly-90-percent-of-football-players/page-9?do=findComment&comment=4450613

[Beast]

This is getting as bad as the tobacco issue.

 

Quite frankly, if people want to smoke or play football, all the more power to them. Everyone knows the risks.

 

I'm a firm believer in personal choice.

[KellyToughII]

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20245394/dr-bennet-omalu-says-obsession-cte-obscuring-larger-truth-brain-health-football-players

"There has been so much fascination with CTE that we are going the wrong way," Dr. Bennet Omalu said. "CTE is just one disease in a spectrum of many diseases caused by brain trauma. If he doesn't have CTE, that doesn't mean he doesn't have brain damage. ... I've always said that every child who plays football has a 100 percent risk of exposure to brain damage. And I've always said that at a professional level, 100 percent would have brain damage of some kind to some degree. That's whether or not their brains are found to have CTE."

 

 

Ok and now it is known make each player sign a assumption of risk waiver. There is no reason for the NFL to keep paying for this when its a known risk and some say fact you will get brain damage.

 

No one forces these guys to play. If you choose to do so, and do not use that FREE Education you got in college, then you assume the risk period.

This is getting as bad as the tobacco issue.

 

Quite frankly, if people want to smoke or play football, all the more power to them. Everyone knows the risks.

 

I'm a firm believer in personal choice.

Agreed and no one should pay them compensation for assuming that risk

[hondo in seattle]

Like many of my fellow posters, apparently I suffer from brain damage.

 

My wife would say that explains a lot.

[row_33]

This is getting as bad as the tobacco issue.

 

Quite frankly, if people want to smoke or play football, all the more power to them. Everyone knows the risks.

 

I'm a firm believer in personal choice.

 

But doctors and scientists told everyone that tobacco was great for your lungs.

 

And NFL team doctors told the players that everything was fine and get back out there.

[CommonCents]

Let's start listing the assumed risks of crappy paying jobs too, we had some guys insulate our house and they were using a blowing machine to blow material in the walls that also kills mice. Walk outside and watch these guys loading it inside the machine while in the truck and being covered in it. Makes me wonder how many years those fools took off their lives for what kind of pay. I felt bad for them.

 

The NFL much like many other jobs is a sacrifice, at least they get paid well. Sure make the game as safe as possible, that makes sense. What doesn't make sense is the outrage over it, I could see not letting your kids play because they have better options in life. Know who won't stop playing? The kids and families who have no better options and see it as a chance to end the vicious cycle

of poverty for themselves.

[Beast]

But doctors and scientists told everyone that tobacco was great for your lungs.

 

And NFL team doctors told the players that everything was fine and get back out there.

You really are dense, huh?

[transient]

I have a different issue with the direction that CTE "research" is taking. This study is of 202 brains of football players at any level, with 111 being of NFL players (I don't have the article in front of me, so the numbers may be off). So, we know they're all dead. We also know that they likely had some signs or symptoms that led them to donate their brains in the first place. The likelihood of finding CTE is therefore already very high. No research is being reported, to the best of my knowledge, that actually looks at the incidence of this in other settings. There is no comparison to a control in these studies. They are all descriptive studies, and yet they are using these studies to ascribe risk. I'm not so naïve as to think hitting your head doesn't cause damage, so I'm sure there is risk associated with playing football and other contact sports. I just think that the way the research on CTE is being reported in the media for all to draw their own conclusions is poor form. The scientists doing the research and reporting results through the media should know better, IMO.

Edited August 5, 2017 by transient

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

You really are dense, huh?

One of the greatest accomplishments of my time is the lack of cigarette smoke in stadiums, restaurants, schools, businesses, airplane....etc.

[leonbus23]

We are past the point of ignorance on the topic. We can at least suspect that brain damage occurs from football.

 

However, I think the compensation for brain damage is built into the high salaries.

 

The most honest thing for the NFL to do is formally admit the risks. Then it is completely on the player to take the risk.

 

In the long term, I think we will see a more obvious correlation between economic status and people who take this risk.

[aristocrat]

To those who say it's a personal choice kids don't know the risks. I had 3 serious knockouts as a kid from football. I played cause my friends played and my dad sent me back out a couple days later each time cause it wasn't known. They really need to come up with a better safety fix or this sport is dead.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HT02]

This is getting as bad as the tobacco issue.

 

Quite frankly, if people want to smoke or play football, all the more power to them. Everyone knows the risks.

 

I'm a firm believer in personal choice.

Amen, I'm with you

[Dr.Sack]

This is getting as bad as the tobacco issue.

 

Quite frankly, if people want to smoke or play football, all the more power to them. Everyone knows the risks.

 

I'm a firm believer in personal choice.

So you are okay with kids smoking? Or making people wait till age 18 to play football?

[Capco]

This is getting as bad as the tobacco issue.

 

Quite frankly, if people want to smoke or play football, all the more power to them. Everyone knows the risks.

 

I'm a firm believer in personal choice.

 

Except when that personal choice leads to costs incurred on those who didn't make that choice.

 

Do you think doctors should be able to turn away a poor motorcyclist who gets in an accident without a helmet? Because unless that person is turned away and left to die, the rest of us bear the cost of that cyclist's poor decision when they are treated with care that they themselves would not be able to afford. Is that the kind of world you want to live in?

[Beast]

Listen, if you are that appalled by this concussion stuff then quit watching the sport. Don't be a hipocrite.

[Augie]

Like many of my fellow posters, apparently I suffer from brain damage.

My wife would say that explains a lot.

My wife used to volunteer for Special Olympics. I think that explains a lot....she needs a cause, and I'm it.

[Thurman#1]

 

But doctors and scientists told everyone that tobacco was great for your lungs.

 

And NFL team doctors told the players that everything was fine and get back out there.

 

 

You really are dense, huh?

 

 

 

He has a point and his post was reasonable.

 

Consider mellowing out.

Edited August 5, 2017 by Thurman#1

[Rochesterfan]

I have a different issue with the direction that CTE "research" is taking. This study is of 202 brains of football players at any level, with 111 being of NFL players (I don't have the article in front of me, so the numbers may be off). So, we know they're all dead. We also know that they likely had some signs or symptoms that led them to donate their brains in the first place. The likelihood of finding CTE is therefore already very high. No research is being reported, to the best of my knowledge, that actually looks at the incidence of this in other settings. There is no comparison to a control in these studies. They are all descriptive studies, and yet they are using these studies to ascribe risk. I'm not so naïve as to think hitting your head doesn't cause damage, so I'm sure there is risk associated with playing football and other contact sports. I just think that the way the research on CTE is being reported in the media for all to draw their own conclusions is poor form. The scientists doing the research and reporting results through the media should know better, IMO.

I agree 100% with this - you keep hear the report 99% of players tested showed CTE - yet it is from a limited group that showed signs and agreed to donate their brains. They have never done a conclusive study what the rate is among all players or other sports or the general public.

 

Various serum biomarkers that are being explored to test on the living have been showing that rates for football players are higher than the general public, but not by huge percentages and that other sports like soccer have just as high an incidence.

 

At some point the research will catch up and we will have actual data to understand the numbers, but for now this is just scare tactics.

[BuffaloBillsMagic1]

I find it hard to believe either all our 3D technology and MRI contrasts tests that the only way to diagonsose this CTE thing is by post mortum. Exam.