The NFL, concussions, and the importance of Dave Duerson's suicide last Thursday

[zipman]

It makes me think of soem great football players who left the game due to concussions as opposed to age/ability.

Hell, I can remember at least two great Jets (Al Toon and Wayne Chrebet) who fall into this category. They must be scared to death over what this means for them and others like them.

 

[RoryN]

Hell, I can remember at least two great Jets (Al Toon and Wayne Chrebet) who fall into this category. They must be scared to death over what this means for them and others like them.

I believe those two are already on a committee for this.

I remember hearing stories many years ago about Al Toon after he retired - living places where there was no noise, because it would drive him insane.

 

[zipman]

I believe those two are already on a committee for this.

I remember hearing stories many years ago about Al Toon after he retired - living places where there was no noise, because it would drive him insane.

I know that Chrebet suffers from severe migraines. That's a steep price to be a star.

 

[trysail]

Requiescat In Pace​

http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/07/07/mackey71_sq.jpg?t=1310052201&s=51​

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/07/07/137670604/football-hall-of-famer-john-mackey-has-died

Football Hall Of Famer John Mackey Has Died

John Mackey, one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history who went on to be the first president of the National Football League Players Association, "died Wednesday of frontal temporal dementia, a disease he had battled for 10 years," the Baltimore Sun reports. He was 69.

As the Sun writes, "his most famous catch came in the 1971 Super Bowl, when he grabbed a twice-tipped pass from [quarterback John] Unitas and raced 75 yards for a touchdown." Baltimore beat Dallas 16-13.

And, says the Sun, "Mackey's legacy can be found in those million-dollar contracts the NFL's players enjoy, said Ozzie Newsome, the [Baltimore] Ravens general manager. 'All of the benefits of today's players come from the foundation laid by John Mackey,' said Newsome, himself a Hall of Fame tight end. 'He took risks. He stepped out. He was willing to be different.' "

The disease that eventually killed Mackey, though, is also part of his legacy.

In 2008, Frank Deford spoke on Morning Edition about "the cautionary tale of John Mackey."

"Singular as he was," Deford said, "now he's just like so many other old pro football players: John Mackey has dementia."

And, said Deford, "both the NFL and the players union have always maintained that players suffer no more brain damage than those in other occupations, but it's getting more difficult to hold to that position."

http://www.coltsheritage.com/images/logo-colts.gif​

John Mackey

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mackey_(American_football)

 

[RoryN]

So, re-visiting this thread...over 800 lawsuits so far. That's right, 800.

http://nflconcussionlitigation.com/?page_id=274

Added recently: Mark Rypien.

Added more recently (today): 119 new plaintiffs, including Mongo himself, Alex Karras.

 

[RoryN]

Mike Florio of NBC is going to go through the list of almost 1,200 players soon and pull out all of the notable names.

Hal of Famer Tony Dorsett is on the list, too.

 

[RoryN]

See who you know. If you're a pro football fan, a lot of these will jump out:

Chidi Ahanotu, Roc Alexander, Eric Allen, Alfred Anderson, Ottis Anderson, Reidel Anthony, Bob Avellini, Brian Baldinger, John Banaszak, Jerome Barkum, Kevan Barlow, Reggie Barlow, Lem Barney, Steve Bartkowski, Brian Baschnagel, Mike Bass, Aaron Beasley, Don Beebe, Lyle Blackwood, Brian Blades, Brent Boyd, Melvin Bratton, Vaughn Broadnax, John Brodie, Chad Brown, Dan Buenning, Norm Buliach, Jarrod Bunch, Jeff Burris, Ken Burrow, Leroy Butler, Keith Byars, John Cappelletti, Roger Carr, Dale Carter, Scott Case, Chris Chambers, Chatric Darby, Darrin Chiaverini, Raymond Clayborn, Ben Coates, Garry Cobb, Scott Conover, Quentin Coryatt, Terry Cousin, Jimbo Covert, Joe Cribbs, Henri Crockett.

Lional Dalton, Wendell Davis, Joe DeLamielleure, Conrad Dobler, Tony Dorsett, Troy Drayton, Shane Dronett, David Duerson, A.J. Duhe, Mark Duper, Dusty Dvoracek, Kenny Easley, Kalimba Edwards, Bert Emanuel, Kevin Everett, Steve Everitt, Terry Fair, Joe Ferguson, Steve Foley, Barry Foster, John Fourcade, Tim Fox, Rocky Freitas, David Fulcher, Mike Furrey, Oronde Gadsden, Scott Galbraith, Dennis Gentry, Jammi German, Jimmie Giles, Leo Goeas, Kurt Goveia, Randy Gradishar, Mel Gray, Hugh Green, Jacquez Green, Jake Grove, Carl Hairston, Darren Hambrick, Troy Hambrick, Rodney Hampton, Terry Hanratty, Al Harris, Cliff Harris, Kwame Harris, Dale Hellestrae, Wally Hilgenberg, Mike Horan, Joe Horn, Ethan Horton, Ken Huff, Maurice Hurst, Heath Irwin, Harold Jackson,Vestee Jackson, Kendyl Jacox, Jim Jeffcoat, Izel Jenkins, Jim Jodat, Rob Johnson, Hassan Jones, Seth Joyner, Isaiah Kacyvenski, Joe Kapp, Alex Karras, Leroy Kelly, Lincoln Kennedy, Kenny King, Sammy Knight, Paul Krause.

Bruce Laird, Le-Lo Lang, Lamar Lathon, Teddy Lehman, Dorsey Levens, D.D. Lewis, Frank Lewis, Jamal Lewis, Greg Lloyd, Chip Lohmiller, Nicholas Luchey, Bob Lurtsema, Reno Mahe, Tony Mandarich, Todd Marinovich, Leonard Marshall, Rod Martin, Lonnie Marts, Shane Matthews, Fred McCrary, Tim McKyer, Jim McMahon, Fred McNeill, Lance Mehl, Mike Merriweather, Terry Metcalf, Stanley Morgan, Zefross Moss, Edwin Mulitalo, Darrin Nelson, Tommy Nobis, Brent Novoselsky, Ken Oxendine, Mike Pagel, Sirr Parker, Bernard Parrish, Jerome Pathon, Dave Pear, Christian Peter, Scott Player, Jethro Pugh, Jack Squirek, Wali Rainer, Fuad Reviez, Reginald Rucker, Mark Rypien, Sean Salisbury, Fred Smerlas, Jack Snow, Jesse Solomon, Mike Stonebreaker, Daniel Stubbs, Patrick Surtain, Jack Tatum, Lamar Thomas, John Tice, Mick Tinglehoff, Jeremiah Trotter, Kyle Turley, Phil Villapiano, Chris Walsh, Curt Warner, Joe Washington, Charlie Waters, Fred Williamson, Garo Yepremian.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/category/rumor-mill/page/2/

 

[busybody..]

they shoulda been truck drivers or PIMPS

 

[RoryN]

they shoulda been truck drivers or PIMPS

What was your career? I always pictured you as a 70s carnie.

 

[RoryN]

http://www.wlox.com/story/15982808/local-nfl-veterans-battle-brain-disease?clienttype=printable

(11-7-2011) Easterling was a successful businessman after an elbow injury ended his career with the Falcons. But soon he lost all his money after making poor judgments, and he began to realize that he was losing his ability to make strong decisions. Over the past few years he's lost most of his short term memory, and also battles coordination issues...

Easterling was knocked totally unconscious in a game in 1977, and was back on the field three plays later. He claims to have suffered 50 concussions for each year he played football...

Easterling is one of seven plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against the NFL over the league's handling of concussion-related injuries, the first potential class-action lawsuit of its kind. The players accuse the league of training players to hit with their heads, failing to properly treat them for concussions and trying to conceal for decades any links between football and brain injuries...

Easterling wishes he had just gone straight into business. "It's such a short window of time to struggle with something for 30 years," said Easterling. "It's not worth the trade off."

Easterling died yesterday...

 

[Disgustipated]

Whoa. A couple guys on that list are NFL Network employees. This is going to get interesting.

 

[RoryN]

Whoa. A couple guys on that list are NFL Network employees. This is going to get interesting.

Agreed. The real drama hasn't really started yet.

This could end with changes like no kick-offs. It sounds ridiculous - and I think it is - but just watch: for better or worse, pro football is never going to be the same.

 

[RoryN]

Easterling died yesterday...

BREAKING NEWS: FOXSports reports Easterling killed himself.

(See the thread title & my first post.)

 

[RoryN]

New plaintiffs: Mark Chmura and Raghib “Rocket” Ismail.

 

[neakman]

Garo Yepremian?.....he only got hit once in his whole career....when he tried to throw that stupid pass.

 

[eyer]

I highly doubt anyone who's ever played more than a season of football at the high school, college, or professional level has not suffered some degree of head trauma (although I cannot speak first-hand as far as the pro level goes)...

...any and all brain bruising can have potentially devastating effects, ie, a high school freshman getting dinged slightly the very first time and quitting football after that can still suffer from the consequence the rest of his life.

The absolute only way to truthfully confront the head trauma issue in football, and then do anything practical about it...

...is to eliminate the sport entirely.

Nothing short of that will prevent players from injuring their brains...

 

[RoryN]

Junior Seau a suicide. ESPN confirms that Seau shot himself through the heart, and Chris Mortensen just alluded to Dave Duerson's similar method.

A brain autopsy is probably a given; I'll update when details emerge.

 

[RoryN]

Seau's brain has been requested by the same Boston doctors who have looked at other footbal player's brains for CTE. We'll see what the family decides.

100+ more players added their names to the lawsuit list today, including such notables as Chris Doleman, O.J. Santiago, and Jamal Anderson ("Dirty Bird").

 

[RoryN]

Early reports were that Seau's family didn't want to "tarnish the game of football" by allowing them to study his brain.

Late report from MSNBC, however, is that they're now considering it.

 

[RoryN]

Seau's family will allow for his brain to be studied.

Good call. Wait for the fallout from this - it'll be significant. Mark my words.

Added to the plaintiff list: former Packers quarterback Don Majkowski.

 

[trysail]

Added to the plaintiff list

WTF? Is this a joke? Fucking goddamn ambulance chasing.


They did it to themselves. Nobody forced 'em to play.

 

[Disgustipated]

WTF? Is this a joke? Fucking goddamn ambulance chasing.


They did it to themselves. Nobody forced 'em to play.

Do you think they are suing for monetary gain? Idiot.

 

[trysail]

Do you think they are suing for monetary gain? Idiot.

It makes no difference you stupid twit. It was voluntary; they did it to themselves.

 

[Disgustipated]

It makes no difference you stupid twit. It was voluntary; they did it to themselves.

No, dummy. You implied they are doing it for money. They are doing it for awareness and to make the game safer.

 

[RoryN]

WTF? Is this a joke? Fucking goddamn ambulance chasing.


They did it to themselves. Nobody forced 'em to play.

Two different scenarios:

1. "Hi - we're the NFL. If you play this game at the pro level, you'll possibly end up with some level of brain damage. You should know what the risks are. However, you're getting paid a shitload for your body, and you obviously love the game of football. So, if that's cool, sign this disclaimer, and welcome to the league.

2. "Hi - we're the NFL. We have no reason to believe serious brain trauma can happen from years of getting hit in the head, so don't even think about it. Just use this helmet to protect yourself. Welcome to the league."

The scenario in play is #2. And there's lots of evidence to back that up.