By Ken Reed
The league came kicking and screaming, but Tuesday finally reached this point of admittance: Football can cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
During a congressional panel hearing, Jeff Miller, the league’s senior vice president for health and safety, said brain research on former NFL players “certainly” shows a connection between football and CTE.
The evidence is overwhelming. As just one example, Boston University neuropathologist Dr. Ann McKee has found CTE in the brains of 90 of the 94 former pro football players she has studied after death.
CTE is tied to repetitive head trauma and is associated with symptoms such as memory loss, depression, dementia and emotional volatility.
Famous football players such as Junior Seau, Mike Webster and Kenny Stabler were diagnosed with CTE after their deaths.
CTE was first identified by Dr. Bennet Omalu, who was played by Will Smith in the major Hollywood movie Concussion. The movie tells the story of how the NFL repeatedly tried to discredit Omalu and his findings.
In fact, the NFL had denied any football-related link to CTE as late as this year’s Super Bowl.
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
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