Weekly Morsels: A Few Things That Might Have Slipped Through the Cracks

By Ken Reed

Namath Suffering From Football Concussions

Famous New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath says he’s long had to deal with the aftereffects of concussions from his playing career.

“I’ve been some through some things medically,” says Namath. “I’ve seen some things on my brian. But I’ve had some treatment — and I’ve improved. None of the body was designed to play football. Excuse me, you know, football, we’re just not designed for.”

Seahawks Owner Paul Allen Donates $2.4 Million For Brain Study

Seattle Seahawks owner and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has donated $2.4 million to his Allen Institute for Brain Science and the University of Washington for a two-year study into whether repeated blows to the head can lead to dementia.

Allen is doing the study apart from any NFL-sponsored studies. The Allen Institute previously focused on mapping the healthy brain. However, the Institute’s Dr. Ed Lein said the move into brain injury was a logical next step.

European Pro Basketball Much Different Than the NBA

Darryl Middleton was a college hoops star at Baylor but the NBA didn’t come calling. So, he went to play pro ball in Europe. At 47, he still lives in Europe. He’s one of the most famous American players in European basketball history. But European pro hoops is hardly a life of luxury.

“One of the lower-league teams I played on we had to bring our own water to practice,” says Middleton.

An interesting read about basketball on another continent.

NFL: Vicious and Violent Entertainment

I’ve always enjoyed watching football games. I love the excitement, intensity, strategy, and artistic athletic ability. And yes, I’ve cheered after some vicious hits. I never thought about what the vicious nature of the game was doing to the players on the field. I figured that once the players were done on the gridiron they suffered from more arthritis pain and limped a little more than the rest of us but that realization didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the game on Saturdays and Sundays.

Today, knowing what I know about brain trauma and concussions, I cringe a lot more on big hits. New York Times columnist Frank Bruni captured this phenomenon well.

Bruni wrote about watching a Colts-Chiefs game this season and called it a “blunt reminder of how much pain we fans endorse in the service of our pleasure.”

Horowitz’ Case Against Alex Rodriguez Revealed

The reasoning of arbitrator Fredric Horowitz in giving the New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez a full-season ban from baseball was ironically revealed in the latest lawsuit brought by Rodriquez against Major League Baseball and the players’ union.

Horowitz wrote in his ruling that the evidence “clearly and convincingly establishes Rodriguez committed multiple violations” of baseball’s drug agreement. He believes the evidence confirms that Rodriguez used and/or possessed three banned substances over a three-year period: testosterone, insulinlike growth factor-1, and HGH.

— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans