Former Chiefs' RB Larry Johnson Believes He Has CTE

[26CornerBlitz]

1 minute ago, horned dogs said:

Thanks for sharing. That is one frightening story. I fear the worst will happen. Hoping that he is able to find his way through the maze. Very sad.

 

 

Yeah man. Helluva price many of these guys pay.

[DriveFor1Outta5]

1 hour ago, jrober38 said:

 

It makes you wonder about tons of young NFL players. Think of all the guys who cite depression as the reason they act out and fail drug tests due to smoking marijuana. Maybe it's not all their fault. 

 

Chris Henry the former Bengals WR had CTE. He had numerous off the field issues.

 

Aaron Hernandez had one of the worst cases of CTE for someone his age. Everyone knows his story. 

 

Josh Gordon has been a mess off the field. What if he has it?

 

Marcel Dareus? Considering the position he plays and his style, would anyone doubt him having it?

 

When 90% of the people studied have CTE, it really makes you wonder how much it affects some of the NFLs players who have had constant off the field behavioural issues. 

CTE is real, I don’t doubt that. I’m also very cautious about attributing all negative off field behavior to the disease. There are simply too many variables in these cases 

49 minutes ago, Commonsense said:

Oh yikes. Just two months ago a group was reported to be able to diagnose CTE in living humans yet you already know so much.

 

perhaps they will perform their due diligence and take into account PED's, narcotics, the repeated trauma, and come to a more definitive conclusion in say...the next decade. 

Very little is known about CTE. Great strides need to be made before we can reach conclusions with any certainty. There is no denying its existence, but media hype has led many to believe that they know more than possible. We live in a media culture where factuality is considered optional. False assumptions occur when people except these words as the confirmed truth. Without  a doubt CTE has the potential to be terrifying, but we aren’t at the point where we can confirm cause and effect. 

[Mr. WEO]

1 hour ago, jrober38 said:

 

And it's only going to get worse for him. As he prophesizes, he probably won't know his own name when he's 50. 

These stories are going to become more and more common as players from the 90s and 2000s begin to die in their 40s and 50s. 

 

As more and more of these stories surface, football participation will inevitably decline. 

 

Why would it just be those players would be dying in their 40's and 50's in higher numbers?

 

Surely players in the 80's took huge hits for many years and everyone was juiced.  Why aren't they all dying in their 40's?

[Boatdrinks]

10 hours ago, jrober38 said:

 

I think it'll take about 50 years. 

 

I figure a lot of people who are just starting to have kids now will be the first generation to really hold their kids back from playing football. That decision will be felt in 20 or so years. Then that generation does the same thing, I think the league will be on really unstable ground.

 

When you think about how much was learned about head injuries over the past 10 years, it'll be crazy to imagine anyone playing in 50 years once you imagine how much more they'll know about the effects of playing football.

 

Think about tobacco. A lot of the science behind the effects of smoking came out in the 60s. In the 60s, about 42% of Americans smoked. Now, only about 16% smoke which is a decrease of about 60%.

 

If that happens to NFL participation over a 50 year span, the NFL is finished.

There is zero chance of becoming wealthy from smoking. Not a good comparison at all. 

[Shamrock]

6 hours ago, Wayne Arnold said:

 

Certainly not in the way it is currently played.

 

Running backs shouldn't play in the NFL longer than two or three full-time seasons. These guys playing into their 30's are insane.

Robert Smith is the example.

[Shamrock]

41 minutes ago, Boatdrinks said:

There is zero chance of becoming wealthy from smoking. Not a good comparison at all. 

Phillip Morris may disagree, I know your point though.

[GaryPinC]

9 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

 

I bet his brain biopsy, right now, would confirm the same tau proteins all of the other brains have shown.

 

The problem is that so few of the former players develop an actual neurological disease to be matched to a physical finding.

 

I bet his brain biopsy, right now, would not show the same tau protein spectrum all the other brains have shown.  How the hell do either of us know?  The guy's 61! 

Much science still needs to be done. 

 

1 million kids a year play HS football and 73k a year play college.  That we know.  I fit into those numbers.  If I end up with dementia at some point it won't be from CTE.  That I am confident of.  

 

Did it ever occur to you that the players not suffering from CTE aren't going to step forward and tell their story because they don't want to minimize research and accountability of the NFL?

 

 

9 hours ago, jrober38 said:

 

There are 4 stages of CTE. 

 

People with stage 1 show no symptoms. 

He's 61!  We all have stage 1 CTE then, got it.  Brilliant.

 

I have little doubt Larry Johnson has CTE, assuming he's being truthful.  But read his story.  Remembers playing through his first concussion as a kid.  That standard is changing.

What will it mean for CTE occurrence?

 

But OMG!  Everyone who plays football must have it!

 

CTE is a real disorder and problem, not just for football players and certainly not every player.  We need science, not panic whores.

[BuffaloBill]

10 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

Every single player makes this calculation every week and off season. with almost zero exceptions each year, they enthusiastically choose to continue playing.

 

 

 

There were many who never made any such calculation because CTE was not on their radar.  Also, the current players who are making this calculation were only aware of the impact of CTE after they began playing.  At the time of its discovery the prevelance of CTE and the frequency of concussions were not understood nor were they commonly accepted as findings.  Time will tell, but I believe more and more elite athletes will shy away from sports like football.   

[rodneykm]

10 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

 

That will never happen in the inner city...

 

football and basketball are their way out of the ghetto.

 

kids will always grow up and dream of playing college ball and making it to the league 

 

they don't care about CTE

 

and college football is KING in he south

 

On this point, I think you are about to see the NBA overtake the NFL as the most popular sport in America. I can also see MLB starting to become "cool" again down the road. Soccer might start to catch on a little better as well. Interesting times to say the least. 

[blitzboy54]

 

18 hours ago, BuffaloButt said:

It's sad for these guys!  However, I'll bet that none of them would trade their careers and money they have made even if they knew the consequences of getting CTE could happen.

The NFL must have legal that they are playing at their own risk and and it's the players liability.

I'll bet your wrong about that.  Just like guys that removed asbestos in the 60s and 70s. Made great money and provided now dead from lung cancer. I'll bet they would have chosen another path if they could.

 

 

He is literally loosing his mind, nothing is worth that. 

2 hours ago, GaryPinC said:

 

I bet his brain biopsy, right now, would not show the same tau protein spectrum all the other brains have shown.  How the hell do either of us know?  The guy's 61! 

Much science still needs to be done. 

 

1 million kids a year play HS football and 73k a year play college.  That we know.  I fit into those numbers.  If I end up with dementia at some point it won't be from CTE.  That I am confident of.  

 

Did it ever occur to you that the players not suffering from CTE aren't going to step forward and tell their story because they don't want to minimize research and accountability of the NFL?

 

 

He's 61!  We all have stage 1 CTE then, got it.  Brilliant.

 

I have little doubt Larry Johnson has CTE, assuming he's being truthful.  But read his story.  Remembers playing through his first concussion as a kid.  That standard is changing.

What will it mean for CTE occurrence?

 

But OMG!  Everyone who plays football must have it!

 

CTE is a real disorder and problem, not just for football players and certainly not every player.  We need science, not panic whores.

 

So your worried someone will take YOUR football away so you call them names and deny science. Sounds right

Edited December 14, 2017 by blitzboy54

[jrober38]

10 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

Why would it just be those players would be dying in their 40's and 50's in higher numbers?

 

Surely players in the 80's took huge hits for many years and everyone was juiced.  Why aren't they all dying in their 40's?

 

NFL players are bigger, stronger, and faster than ever. These factors lead to bigger, more traumatic hits, which in turn will lead to worse cases of CTE.

 

A lot of people think CTE is only caused by hits to the head, which isn't true. You can hit a guy cleanly in the chest, but if the force of that hit is so severe that the player getting hit, or the person doing the hitting gets whiplash, the brain can still be damaged by its natural movement inside the skull. 

 

I'm not saying you haven't, but people really need to watch the movie Concussion. They do a really good job breaking down how blow, after blow, after blow where the brain gets "shaken" inside the skull is what leads to CTE. It's not just the brutal helmet to helmet hits that have become so scary to watch. 

3 hours ago, GaryPinC said:

 

I bet his brain biopsy, right now, would not show the same tau protein spectrum all the other brains have shown.  How the hell do either of us know?  The guy's 61! 

Much science still needs to be done. 

 

1 million kids a year play HS football and 73k a year play college.  That we know.  I fit into those numbers.  If I end up with dementia at some point it won't be from CTE.  That I am confident of.  

 

Did it ever occur to you that the players not suffering from CTE aren't going to step forward and tell their story because they don't want to minimize research and accountability of the NFL?

 

 

He's 61!  We all have stage 1 CTE then, got it.  Brilliant.

 

I have little doubt Larry Johnson has CTE, assuming he's being truthful.  But read his story.  Remembers playing through his first concussion as a kid.  That standard is changing.

What will it mean for CTE occurrence?

 

But OMG!  Everyone who plays football must have it!

 

CTE is a real disorder and problem, not just for football players and certainly not every player.  We need science, not panic whores.

 

90% of football players' brains that have been studied have had CTE. 

 

You're talking about a subject to which you don't appear to have done any research on whatsoever. 

[Mr. WEO]

3 hours ago, GaryPinC said:

 

I bet his brain biopsy, right now, would not show the same tau protein spectrum all the other brains have shown.  How the hell do either of us know?  The guy's 61! 

Much science still needs to be done. 

 

 

I'm pretty sure it would--especially if he is exhibiting symptoms.  I say this because every such brain studied so far has this abnormality.

 

3 hours ago, BuffaloBill said:

 

 

 

There were many who never made any such calculation because CTE was not on their radar.  Also, the current players who are making this calculation were only aware of the impact of CTE after they began playing.  At the time of its discovery the prevelance of CTE and the frequency of concussions were not understood nor were they commonly accepted as findings.  Time will tell, but I believe more and more elite athletes will shy away from sports like football.   

 

Exactly---they have more info than any other generation of players and they still choose to play.

 

Also, it is widely believed that the number and severity of concussions are not what cause CTE--it is the accumulation of all cranial deceleration events over years of playing at any and all levels.

 

46 minutes ago, jrober38 said:

 

NFL players are bigger, stronger, and faster than ever. These factors lead to bigger, more traumatic hits, which in turn will lead to worse cases of CTE.

 

 

 

 

 

Two NFL sized men (Ronnie Lott hit harder than any player today, I bet) hitting each other at full speed (and helmet to helmet hits were prized back then) then or now will have the same potential to accumulate into risk for CTE.  Why aren't we seeing many many more players with neurological disease as a result of a life of playing football?

[Charles Romes]

The counterpoint is that no one has stopped going on roids to get huge even with all of he risks. There will always be people out there to assume the risk.  

[Gordio]

22 hours ago, BuffaloButt said:

It's sad for these guys!  However, I'll bet that none of them would trade their careers and money they have made even if they knew the consequences of getting CTE could happen.

The NFL must have legal that they are playing at their own risk and and it's the players liability.

 

 

That is a lot to assume brother.  It is a horrible life. 

[boyst]

Well, he got a lot of money and blablabla

 

No pity. Tough luck there hoss.

[Buffalo716]

4 hours ago, rodneykm said:

 

On this point, I think you are about to see the NBA overtake the NFL as the most popular sport in America. I can also see MLB starting to become "cool" again down the road. Soccer might start to catch on a little better as well. Interesting times to say the least. 

Soccer Has been the number one youth sport in America for decades

 

it doesn't translate to the high school , collegiate or pro level like football , basketball, baseball

 

basketball and baseball are definitely on the incline as well

 

baseball really never went away. It's just too tough to follow a 162 game season

 

 

[KD in CA]

23 hours ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

Not surprised the way he played, man ran rel real hard, he gave it his all, he was the best back in the league imo for a few years, the wear and tear just caught up to him.  

 

Yup.  Dude was a beast those first few years.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

On 12/13/2017 at 3:28 PM, BuffaloBill said:

 

 

I’ll bet there is more than one guy questioning whether the trade off is worth it.  These guys have kids and lives.  Many of the individuals afflicted may also not have made that much money from their NFL careers.  We tend to think of all of them as getting rich from playing but many do not.  

 

...this kid took a beating...416 carries in '06 followed by 336 in '07......read about some of the "rich (COUGH)" older guys......Conrad Dobler story will turn your stomach.....pension is a current day player's one night bar tab....yet the guy is crippled, addicted, afflicted and broke........you'd think out of the mega BILLIONS today, they could throw some crumbs to the guys that paved the way...no chance in hell........Billy Shaw played for a whopping 18 grand a year.......finally retired at age 66 (SS age for him) from being a concrete mixing guy.....had to keep working because of his MASSIVE NFL pension.....disgusting...........

[BuffaloBill]

45 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

...this kid took a beating...416 carries in '06 followed by 336 in '07......read about some of the "rich (COUGH)" older guys......Conrad Dobler story will turn your stomach.....pension is a current day player's one night bar tab....yet the guy is crippled, addicted, afflicted and broke........you'd think out of the mega BILLIONS today, they could throw some crumbs to the guys that paved the way...no chance in hell........Billy Shaw played for a whopping 18 grand a year.......finally retired at age 66 (SS age for him) from being a concrete mixing guy.....had to keep working because of his MASSIVE NFL pension.....disgusting...........

 

 

Yeah I forget about Dobler.  I just googled and crap he has had a hard life after football.  This is due to his own situation but also because of his wife’s freak accident and paralysis.  The guy is a poster child for what can go wrong after football.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

2 minutes ago, BuffaloBill said:

 

 

Yeah I forget about Dobler.  I just googled and crap he has had a hard life after football.  This is due to his own situation but also because of his wife’s freak accident and paralysis.  The guy is a poster child for what can go wrong after football.

 

...it is painfully sad especially when he has no one to reach out to.......sad part is there are many, MANY others who are at the curb as forgottens..........